


the second time is not the charm

by ariadne83, somehowunbroken



Category: DCU
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Babyfic, DCU Big Bang, Drug Addiction, F/M, terrible parenting, two-thirds self-indulgence and one-third WTF where did these feels come from
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-20
Updated: 2014-10-20
Packaged: 2018-02-21 21:25:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2482994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariadne83/pseuds/ariadne83, https://archiveofourown.org/users/somehowunbroken/pseuds/somehowunbroken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason has spent half of his life with his grandmother, since his mom has been in and out of rehab since his dad died. She finally gets clean (hopefully for good) when Jason is sixteen; unfortunately, this comes around because she meets some loser in rehab and decides to get married and have another kid. Suddenly, Jason has a totally bogus stepdad, a new stepbrother he's not sure about, and a baby sister on the way. It's not how he saw his life going, but once he and Tim bond over their sister-to-be and decide that they'll be there for her no matter what, Jason finds that he can't really complain. Not too much, anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the second time is not the charm

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to shinysylver for beta duties. [Make sure you check out the absolutely amazing artwork by 5robins](http://5robins.tumblr.com/post/100529697828/dcubigbang)!
> 
> If you're a fan of Jack Drake, this is probably not the fic for you. Don't say you weren't warned.

Jason is four when the police take his father away. He's five when his mother starts sleeping a lot, and six when grumpy old Mr. Caster locks them out of the apartment. Seven when Dad comes back, and seven and a half when he goes away again. Eight when Mom drops him off at a house that's full of other kids, and she cries when he says he's too big to take his bear with him.

He's not there too long before an old lady shows up and tells him she's his grandma, takes him to a fancy house full of weird stuff, and tells him his mom is in the hospital. Jason does his best to remember the pictures Mom had kept on the wall in the hallway; all people he's never met, people Mom called family. This could be the same lady that she'd said was Grandma. He reserves judgment until he gets up to the room she says is his, and Bear is sitting on the bed.

He doesn't cry because he's way too old for that now, he _is_ , but he's not too old for his bear. No way. Bear doesn't call his mom names when he thinks Jason isn't listening. Bear doesn't call Jason slow just 'cause he struggles with his times tables. Bear listens, when Jason's mom comes home and she still cries at night, and he's scared she'll have to go back to the hospital. Bear gives him the best hugs when he's ten, and Mom _does_ go back to the hospital.

He's looking a little ratty by the time Mom gets out when he's eleven, but Grandma gives him a needle and some thread when Jason asks. Bear's arm might be on a little crooked now, but Jason's got his back.

Bear is one of the few things he has left from before. Grandma bought him all kinds of new stuff - shoes and clothes and a desk and everything - and it's nice of her, it really is. But his new books don't have the notes he painstakingly made, or the crease from that time his mother dropped _The Lord of the Rings_ when she fell asleep on Jason's shoulder.

And the nice house doesn't seem to make Mom any happier. She's in and out of the hospital - out of _rehab_ , Jason learns when he's thirteen - so many times she misses pretty much every holiday and birthday for four years.

"She's trying," Grandma says when Jason asks why Mom can't just get _better_ already. "She's sick, Jason. Not like a cold, or even like when you broke your arm. Her brain is sick, and it made her body sick, too. It's hard for her to get better." And then she makes him do his hair again, because it looks "frightful".

Jason learns how to live with it, how to not ask questions, and how to tell when Mom's hands are shaking from withdrawal or from something worse. He has to, because that's his life until Mom comes home when Jason's two weeks from turning sixteen.

She tells him they're moving out of Grandma's house and starting over. Jason rolls his eyes and makes sure to only pack the bare minimum; it'll probably be six months max before he's back here.

Then she smiles and tells him she met someone.

"In rehab?"

Mom nods. "He's a great guy, Jay. He had a problem with painkillers after an accident, but he kicked it, no problem." She ruffles his hair like he's still a kid; Jason figures she missed enough of his childhood that she might not remember that he's grown kind of a lot. "He's got a son who just turned fourteen. I think you'll get along well."

Jason rolls his eyes. Yeah, sure, all his BFFs are fourteen. But she really does look happier than he's seen her in a long time, and he can't take that away.

They move downtown, into a nicer apartment than Jason remembers from his childhood. It's a couple of weeks before he meets Jack Drake, and Jason spends pretty much the entire meal wondering why he's there if Drake didn't bring his kid along.

Mom chatters nervously, and Drake makes lame jokes that make her force a laugh and shove Jason in the shoulder until he tries to crack a smile too. His douchebag alert is blaring.

"So, Mom says you've got a kid about my age?" Jason says as the awkward silence between the meal and dessert stretches out. He figures Little Drake is probably just as bad as Big Drake, but hey, asking makes Mom smile again.

Big Drake smiles tightly. "Tim, yes. He's just turned fourteen." And then he cracks another horrible joke, about the Terrible Teen years. Jason kinda wants to offer him some more parmesan, since he's so much in favor of _cheese_.

"Tim's already at school," Mom says when Jason opens his mouth. It's not like he was going to ask, but hey, more information is always a good thing. "He's a good student. You two will get along just great, I can already tell."

"Oh, so you met Tim?" Jason says sweetly. 

Mom's face goes red.

"Tim's not at home much," Drake says. "Boarding school, you know. And he does different camps all summer."

"Right, of course." Jason stabs at his pasta, but what he really wants to do is mime stabbing himself with his fork. What exactly is he supposed to have in common with a prep school trust fund brat?

"He'll be home for the holidays," Drake adds. "I'll introduce you to him then, kiddo, how's that?"

"It'll give you some time to get to know each other before the wedding," Mom adds.

It takes every ounce of self-control for Jason not to get up from the table then and walk out, because what the fuck? At least he knows why he got the invite to dinner now. Mom knows he won't yell if they're in public, and is probably hoping he'll have come to terms with it by the time they get home.

Well, to hell with that. Jack Drake is ten pounds of asshole in a five-pound bag, and Jason's not going to let the guy marry his mom.

"And you and Timmy can get some bonding time in before the baby is born," Drake finishes.

Mom plasters on a fake smile and tries to take Jason's hand. Her eyes are almost screaming 'be happy for me' and he wants to try, but what the hell? Why is this asshole speaking for her?

He's done the math, okay, and he remembers his father well enough to have figured out that he wasn't a kid they planned to have. His mom isn't too old to have a kid, not really, but it's all… sudden, and weird, and Jack Drake is looking at him like he'd rather stick Jason in a trash can but won't because of Mom, and all Jason wants to do is throw up.

He takes a deep breath. "Let me get this straight: you're getting married, and having a baby. And you met in goddamn rehab."

"Watch your language, Jason," Drake says.

"Okay, no, let's help you get this straight," Jason says, turning to Drake. "You're not my father, okay? Been there, done that, got the shitty t-shirt. I listen to Mom, I listen to Grandma, and that's the end of the list."

"That doesn't fly with me," Drake replies. "I'm the head of the household and-"

"Not if I stay with Grandma."

"Jason, please," Mom breaks in. "Don't you want to be part of a family? Have siblings?"

"Maybe I don't want to change school districts for the millionth time. You think about that, Mom?"

That makes Mom's face brighten. "Is that what you're worried about? You wouldn't have to, honey. Jack doesn't live far from Grandma's, actually. You'll be in the same school in the fall."

"For fuck's sake, no. I'm worried about _you_. Dad was an asshole, and you've barely been on the wagon for six months."

Drake huffs indignantly. "I'm hardly-"

Mom lays her hand on his arm and looks at Jason, and for the first time in a long time, it's like she's actually trying to be a parent. He can see it in her eyes. "Jack is nothing like your father, Jason. He's a good person, he's got a good job, and he's willing and able to care for us."

"How do you know? What if he doesn't even have a damn kid, and he's lying to you so you'll think he's harmless?"

"That's enough," Drake says, and it's the kind of voice Jason has come to hate, the kind that promises some sort of retribution if it's not listened to immediately. "You've done nothing but disrespect me and your mother since we got here, boy. I won't listen to it any longer."

Jason sneers at him. "Then I guess I'd better leave."

Before anyone can say another word, Jason gets up and walks out of the restaurant. He calls Grandma as soon as he's out the door, and twenty minutes later, he's on his way back to her house.

Mom shows up when he's barely made it in the door. Her eyes are puffy like she's been crying, and Jason feels sick with guilt.

"I'm sorry," he mutters before she can say anything, because he is. Sort of. Not that he yelled at Drake, but that he'd upset her when she was really trying to connect with him and help him connect with Drake.

She sniffles as she hugs him. "I know it's a lot to take in, but once you get used to the idea-"

"It's too much," Jason cuts in. "You're supposed to be clean for a year before you even start a new relationship, Mom."

"I know."

Jason pulls away and takes a few steps back. "How long have you been seeing him? How far along are you?"

Mom looks away. "We started talking about seeing each other for a while when we were both in there. Jay, you have no idea how lonely it gets, and Jack - he's a good person, honey. I really like him a lot."

"Jesus. Does he even care about what you need to stay sober?"

"Of course he does!" Mom says. "He's helping me. We're helping each other."

"You're fucking pregnant, Mom! How is that helping anyone?"

Grandma steps out into the hall when she hears him yelling, and Jason mutters a brief apology but she doesn't even look at him. Her eyes are laser-focused on Mom.

"Catherine," she says sharply. "Is that true?"

Mom sighs. "Yes, but-"

"Jason, go to your room, please."

"Gram-"

"Now, please." Her voice is firm. "You're not in trouble. I'm just of the mindset that children shouldn't hear their parents get yelled at, and apparently I've kept this in for too long."

"Okay," Jason replies quietly, and takes the stairs two at a time. He hears his mother say "I'm not in the mood for a lecture" as he clears the landing, so he speeds up, closes his door, and turns on the radio. It drowns out the words and even most of the sounds from downstairs, and Jason sighs as he flops onto his bed. 

He's wiggling his feet to the fourth crappy pop song of the hour when there's a knock on the door. He honestly isn't sure if he'd rather face Mom or Grandma right now, but making either one of them wait isn't in his best interests in the long run, so he turns the music down. "Yeah?"

The door opens, and Grandma steps in. "Your mother's gone home for now. I expect you to apologize in the morning, for cursing." She waits for a response, one perfect eyebrow raised.

"Sure, Gram," Jason says. "Is she… I don't know. She thinks she's fine, but I have no idea what I'm supposed to think about all of this. 'Come out to dinner, Jason! Meet my new boyfriend, and oh by the way we're getting married, and I'm having another kid!'"

Gram frowns. "I had a word with her about that. It wasn't fair to spring all of that on you in public."

Jason shrugs. "I don't think she meant to tell me about the baby. That was Drake, not her."

"Well." Gram squares her shoulders and huffs loudly. "I suppose I'll have to have a word with him too."

"Please do," Jason says, grinning. "In fact, please have several words with him."

Gram presses her lips together tight, and Jason's 80% sure she's fighting back a smile. "Did you have enough to eat before you flounced off home?"

"Yeah," Jason says. "They at least waited until after we finished the meal to spring it on me. I missed out on pie, though."

"Well, we can't have that."

If there's one thing that Jason has learned in his eight years living with Gram, it's that there's always pie. Always. He grins and follows her down to the kitchen.

-0-

Even though Mom does her best to get Jason to move in with her and Jack right away, he opts to stay with Gram. At least, he does until a week before Thanksgiving, when he goes downstairs to eat breakfast before school one day and finds her on the floor in the kitchen. They let him ride with her in the ambulance, and when Mom comes to meet him at the hospital her face is so washed out it's almost grey. Aunt Leslie gets there right after Mom does, and it’s not long before they get the report. Mom squeezes him so tight he can barely focus on what the doctor is saying. Aunt Leslie talks to the doctor instead, and ushers him out when they finish.

"She's going to be okay, right?" Jason says quietly.

“Yes,” Aunt Leslie says firmly. “She’s had a heart attack, but they don’t think it was long before you found her, Jason. She’ll have to stay in the hospital for a few days, maybe a week, and there’ll be some recovery to do, but she’ll be okay." She hugs him, and Jason hides his face in her shoulder.

“Jay,” Mom says after a moment. “I know you want to stay with Gram, but given the circumstances…”

"Yeah," Jason cuts in. "I know." He has to pack up, again.

“It won’t be so bad,” Mom promises. “And if you really, really hate it, well, we’ll see how Gram feels about you moving back in once she’s feeling better."

Jason leans against her shoulder. All he wants right now is to be with family, and if that means putting up with Jack, then so be it.

The move itself goes pretty smoothly; his room at Jack’s house had already been set up for him, courtesy of Jack throwing money at people, so it doesn’t take long to get settled. Mom flits around like a hummingbird, always asking if Jason needs anything, if he's done his homework, if he wants to visit Gram, if he still believes in Santa... Well, okay, that last one is an exaggeration, but it's pretty obvious she's working hard to make up for lost time. It's part of why Jason is kind of amused and kind of horrified when his mom announces that she's going to make a big Thanksgiving dinner. He's pretty sure it's at least in part due to the fact that it'll be the first time either of them meet Tim, Jack's oh-so-mysterious son. He knows Mom just wants to make a good impression, but Jason isn't sure cooking a big meal is the best way to go.

Jason's helping with the ever-important taste-testing step of the cooking when he hears Jack's car pull up. He turns towards the door quickly, half because he's curious and half to hide the horrified face he knows he's making at the taste of the cranberry sauce. It's gritty, and somehow both cloyingly sweet and eye-wateringly sour. He's got about two hours before they eat; surely he can come up with a reason to skip it between now and then.

The door opens and Jack comes in, carrying a massive pumpkin pie. "Mrs. Mac sends her love," he says cheerfully.

Jason raises an eyebrow. "Is that for four people?" It looks like it'd serve at least twelve.

"This, my boy, is my favorite," Jack says, beaming as he sets it on the counter. "Mrs. Mac knows. We'll be eating leftovers for days."

Jason grits his teeth and tries to ignore him. Jack's attempts at being ‘friendly‘ always seem to have the opposite effect, but he's trying. For Mom's sake, and for his sister-to-be, he's trying.

"Right, pie," Jason says, nodding. "I thought you were bringing me a brother, though, and as cool as the pie is…"

It's not that Jason's really excited about meeting Tim; honestly, he's pretty resigned to Small Drake being just as terrible as Big Drake, but the longer he stays in the kitchen the more he's going to daydream about shoving Jack's face in the pie. Escape is a good strategy.

"Tim's getting his bags. I'm sure he wouldn't mind a hand." Jack chuckles like he's said something funny, and Jason wonders if it ever occurred to him to help Tim himself, if the kid has that much stuff.

"Yeah, I'll just," he says, nodding at the door as Jack rounds the corner of the counter towards Mom. He's found that he gets a little nauseated if he sees them making out, and Jack's too much of an ass to leave it as a kiss hello.

When he gets outside, he can't see anyone behind the giant SUV Jack insisted on upgrading to now that they're going to have one whole baby to drive around. "Hello?" he calls as he walks towards the truck. Maybe the kid's already inside?

"Hi," a muffled voice calls out.

Jason moves towards the sound and comes face to face with a tiny kid, pillow tucked between his shoulder and his cheek as he tries to juggle two duffels and a camera bag.

"I thought Jack said you were fourteen," Jason blurts out.

"I'm due for a growth spurt," the kid - Tim, must be, he's got Jack's nose - says. "Or I take more after my mom, who was ridiculously short. It's hard to tell."

Jason takes the pillow before it can drop onto the muddy ground.

"Thanks," Tim says, jerking his neck to the side and popping it. "I'm Tim, you're Jason, and no offense, but I'd rather wait for the hand-shaking until after I get this inside."

"Fair enough. Want me to take anything else?"

Tim shakes his head. "Thanks, but I'm pretty sure if you grab anything else, I'll drop the rest of it."

Jason nods, and turns back to the house so he can get the door for Tim. "Word of warning while we're still out of earshot, Tiny Tim: it may look good, but don't eat the cranberry sauce. My mom isn't exactly Martha Stewart."

“Note taken,” Tim says, edging his way inside so he doesn’t smack his pile against the door frame and drop it.

Jason follows behind him as he staggers up to his room. prepared to catch him if he trips on the stairs.

“Thanks,” Tim says when he finally tips his stuff onto his bed. “I, uh. I should probably go back down and say hi."

Jason shrugs. "Probably."

“Right,” Tim says. There’s an awkward moment where neither of them moves before Tim points at the door. “I’m gonna do that. Are you coming with, or are you gonna… hang out in my room?”

"Hey! We're supposed to be making nice, but you make me sound like a perv."

Tim turns red everywhere that Jason can see. “No! I just - no!” He takes a deep breath. “C’mon. I’m going downstairs and you should come too."

They get through the main meal without any serious injuries, and when Mom suggests a break before dessert Jason's only too happy to retreat.

“You kids get to know each other!” Jack calls as Jason and Tim head for the stairs. “I’m sure you’ll be pals in no time!"

Jason rolls his eyes. "Yeah, come on, Timmy! You can show me your Pokemon deck."

“I don’t play Pokemon,” Tim mutters as they walk out of Jack’s earshot. “Magic: The Gathering is a lot better."

Jason can't disagree there, but he keeps it to himself. He doesn't know enough about the Drakes yet to risk letting his nerd flag fly. He waits until he and Tim walk into the upstairs den, and then he takes a deep breath. "No offense, kid, but I don't want to be here and your dad's an asshole. So there's zero chance of us being besties." He's expecting the kid to pout, or at least sigh dramatically; he's pleasantly surprised when Tiny Tim's sigh sounds more relieved than disappointed.

"Same here," Tim says. "Well, your mom's nice enough, I guess, and she means well. This whole holiday special she's putting on is a little much, though."

Jason snorts. "Tell me about it. I don’t remember the last time she even bought cranberry sauce, let alone made it from scratch. It might’ve actually been poison."

"Don't eat the pumpkin pie," Tim retorts. "Dad made the housekeeper make it this morning instead of giving her the whole day off."

"At least the cranberry sauce is just awful," Jason says, making a face. "No unfair labor involved."

Tim grins. "Pumpkin pie is Dad's favorite. I prefer cherry, so the cherry should be fine."

"Good to know, but I like the one my gram gets from the bakery." Jason sighs and tries not to think ahead too far, mostly so he doesn't drool through the meal. "It's coconut custard. Whipped topping. It tastes like every good thing that has ever happened."

Tim hops up on the low wall and kicks his feet. "I'm pretty sure Mrs. Mac put salt in the pie instead of sugar, on purpose."

"Is that a normal thing, or a holiday special?"

"Nah, she likes me well enough. It's just Dad."

Jason snorts. "She has good taste. Wanna sneak into the kitchen and swap the labels so she doesn't get fired?"

"Dad would never," Tim says, grinning back. "He wouldn't know what to do in a kitchen if Julia Childs was in there with him, and he's convinced that Mrs. Mac has booby trapped the pantry."

"What's your deal, anyway?" Jason finds himself asking. " How come you're not defending your old man?"

Tim shrugs. "I didn't see much of him when I was little. My parents separated when I was five, and when mom died he sent me to boarding school." He shrugs again. "Not much to defend."

"Huh. So I guess he's not a tragic widower," Jason says dryly.

Tim shakes his head. "They were separated for four years, fighting over the settlement."

"You don't think he-"

"No. It was a plane crash."

"Sorry. That sucks."

"Thanks." Tim shifts, and Jason can practically see him not asking about Jason's dad. But then he was probably fed some line about it being a sore subject, so the happy couple could distance themselves from the sordid past. Well, screw that. Jason's not ashamed of where he came from. If he hadn't learned by now how to wield his past like a weapon, he never would've survived Gram's attempts to send him to private school

"My dad was a piece of work," he says casually. "Drank a lot, smoked more. Really liked gambling, but he sucked at it, so he joined up with whatever gang would take his sorry ass. Ran money for whoever would let him, got stupid, got caught. Got killed for disloyalty."

"Sorry. That's rough."

"I barely remember him," Jason admits. "He was in and out of jail more times than Lindsey Lohan."

"So we both have kind of crap dads," Tim says, shrugging. "Anything else in common?"

"Pie."

Tim snorts. "Pie is a universal constant."

"See, we're getting along already. Mom and Dad'll be so _pleased_ with us little angels."

Tim smiles sweetly, all fake innocence. Jason kinda wants to grab him in a headlock and give him a noogie, but he's not sure they're there yet. He does like the kid a lot more than he was expecting though, so at least there's some silver lining in this whole shitstorm.

"Well, pretty soon we'll share a sister, so there's that too."

Tim freezes. "What?"

"Holy fucking shit, they didn't _tell_ you yet?" Jason… wishes he was more surprised, actually. "My mom's preggo. Due in March."

"But it's November," Tim says faintly. "And Dad only told me about her a couple of months ago."

"I met him in September. They sprung the wedding and the kid on me at the same time. A one-two punch kind of thing."

Tim flinches. "That's some punch."

"There was no actual punching, but only because I got the fuck out of the restaurant before they could tell me anything else."

"A sister," Tim echoes belatedly, shaking his head. "That's crazy."

"Hey, at least the house is big enough that they're not going to make us share a bedroom."

"That would never happen anyway. I already have a roommate at boarding school, so they'll have to stick you somewhere else."

Jason snorts. "Yeah, like I'm going to boarding school. Fat fucking chance."

Tim shrugs as he turns the Wii on. "We'll see, I guess. Ready to lose at Mario Kart?"

"You're so on," Jason says, grinning as he grabs a controller, and they spend the next hour and a half trying to push each other off of Rainbow Road. Tim turns out to be a vicious little son of a bitch.

Jason's just about to even the score - no, really - when he hears Jack yell from the dining room. "Boys! C'mon, it's time for dessert!"

Tim startles, which makes him crash and burn, and Jason shamelessly takes advantage of the opportunity. "Winner takes all!" he crows as he crosses the finish line.

"I'm still seven races ahead," Tim points out.

"Winner takes all," Jason repeats. "Don't be a sore loser, Tim-Timminey."

"Rematch later," Tim says decisively. "And if you call me that again, I'm calling you Jay-Jay from now until forever."

Jason crosses his arms. "Call me Jay-Jay and I'll upgrade you to Sweetums."

"Are you sure you want to start this game?" Tim asks, raising an eyebrow. "I've heard my share of terrible pet names, _Babycakes_."

Jason bats his eyelashes and grabs Tim in a headlock. "Come on, cherry baby, pie awaits."

Tim's face goes as red as his favorite kind of pie, but he lets Jason drag him to the dining room. Jason lets go just outside the door, so Tim can un-muss himself before they have to face the music. Tim smiles sweetly... and then trips him, so he falls through the doorway and almost gets a faceful of coconut cream.

He just manages to catch his balance, and cracks up laughing at the look on Jack's face. Maybe having a stepbrother as a partner in crime won't be all bad.

-0-

Despite the smug, knowing looks Jack sends his way over Jason not hating Tim on sight, he doesn't have to see the kid again until the wedding. It's an entire Tim-free month, so Jason has time to think over the stuff they'd talked about. They ended up spending most of Tim's break hanging out and playing video games, which was more fun than Jason had been expecting.

So he pretends to be bummed when he and Tim are left out of Jack's bachelor party, but when they're left alone to order pizza and "behave themselves" Jason can't help holding out a fist for Tim to bump. Tim punches his fist really enthusiastically, and Jason smirks when he winces and flexes his fingers. "Moderation, Tim Tam," he says.

Tim shakes his head. "Not today."

"Okay, no moderation," Jason says. "Let's just go nuts."

They order pizza and garlic bread, chilli fries and three bottles of soda, and that's just the start. Mom's been going through cravings like water lately, so there's a ton of random junk food in the pantry; they make off with three different kinds of cookies and a box of gummy worms, and Jason's not promising that he won't return later for a second sweep.

He raises his eyebrows when Tim beats him to it. "They don't let you have the good stuff at rich boy school?"

Tim makes a face. "They get additional funding for the sports programs if they serve 'healthy food' to the students," he says, making air quotes. "Most of it looks like it hasn't been edible in at least a week. I eat a lot of salad."

"Poor little Tim." Jason shakes his head sadly. "Please sir, can I have some more arugula?" he says in a squeaky voice.

"You joke, but there are salad dressing limits," Tim says, opening the chocolate chip cookies and taking a huge bite. Crumbs go everywhere, but the housekeeper will be in the day after tomorrow. Jason will just brush them under the edge of the sofa until then "There's a barter system for extra dressing cups. The salad black market."

"My heart bleeds."

Tim shoves the rest of the cookie into his mouth and stares Jason down.

Jason stares right back. "What?"

Tim claps his hand over his mouth and snorts, and there's a minute of really gross chewing and swallowing before he finally lowers his hand again. "Man, I sorta thought this was going to be weird, but it really isn't."

"I think it would've been weirder if we'd been stuck with your dad and his friends while they pretended they wouldn't rather be at a strip club."

"I don't need to see Dad drinking," Tim says a little too quickly, and Jason frowns. "It's not… he's not an alcoholic. But addictive personalities, right?"

"Yeah." Jason sets down his coke and sighs. "I really hope Mom can stay clean this time, but ten years of this shit and..." He trails off and shrugs.

"Yeah," Tim agrees. "I know they say they're looking out for each other, but I'm glad that your aunt is checking in every week because of the baby."

"Great-aunt," Jason corrects. "Aunt Leslie is Gram's sister, not Mom's."

"Right." Tim gives him a small smile that looks more genuine than the clown-grimace he makes for Jack. "It's important to be precise."

Jason rolls his eyes. "Damn right."

"Like how I always kick your ass with perfect precision."

"Whatever, pipsqueak."

"I'm willing to reset the record if you want to try _Call of Duty_ again," Tim offers sweetly.

What the hell, Jason thinks. You only live once.

As it turns out, that saying is a fucking lie; Tim out-snipes Jason by a lot, and Jason keeps respawning. 

"Dude, you've killed me so many times I might as well be Zombie Jesus," Jason complains.

"Sorry, can't help you," Tim replies. "I'm Jewish."

"You're a jerk," Jason retorts. Not his strongest, but it'll do.

Tim snorts. "Maybe. Bet I don't jerk it more than you, though, Han Solo."

Jason's hand twitches at the comment and his character falls out of his hiding place. Tim runs over and shoots him before he can get up again, but Jason's too busy laughing to care at this point.

By mutual apathy, they agree on a living room slumber party. The linen closet is closer than either of their rooms, and their parents will probably wave it off as brotherly bonding if they're still asleep in there when everyone gets home.

They make it to three in the morning, and still no-one's home. Jason takes it upon himself to make cocoa and put on Star Wars, both he and Tim deliberately _not_ talking about how their parents met or what they might be doing on their last night of freedom.

His mom gets home at four, reeking of cigarette smoke, and goes straight to bed. Tim rolls over on the couch and stops watching the door.

"Hey," Jason says awkwardly. He knows exactly what it's like in Tim's position right now, to wish that someone could just bring your parent home and tell you that you don't have to worry about them. He's pretty sure Tim knows that's bullshit as much as Jason does, though. "What do you want to watch next?"

Tim shuffles in his seat. "Um. Do you have _Wendy the Werewolf Stalker_?"

Jason's jaw drops. "I think I love you."

Tim's face splits into a grin. "I've only seen the first season," he says. "TV's a privilege at school, and I can't usually get time when the reruns are on."

Jason cracks his knuckles and reaches for the seven-season boxset Gram got him for Christmas. "Decision time: do we start from the very beginning for context, or jump in where you stopped?"

"Start over, duh," Tim says, heading for the DVD player. "How is that even a question?"

Jason falls asleep during the second hour of the pilot and has the trippiest dreams of his life.

The next day is them rushing from one appointment to the next one; Mom's off with Gram doing dress things, so Tim and Jason are forced to tag along with Jack as they do last-minute tux fittings and run around trying to find Jason a pair of boxers that will lie flat under his pants. They end up buying a ridiculously expensive silk pair that are so light and slippery Jason keeps worrying that they're going to slide right off his ass if he moves wrong. Jack gives him a strained smile when the cashier rings them up.

"Thanks," Jason says, because he's got manners, even if Jack usually doesn't make him feel like using them.

They get back to the car, and Jason tries to tune out as much he can; Jack insists on turning to an oldies easy listening station, and Jason's heard so much Bread he feels like he has a yeast infection.

He grabs the box that the sales lady had put his folded boxers into - with tissue paper, come on, that's just dumb - as soon as they pull up to the house. "Hey, Tim, d'you know how to wash these?" he asks. Tim nods. "Good. Great. Jack, we're just gonna go make sure these are clean, so call if you need us. See you later."

He follows Tim down the hall to the laundry room. "OK seriously, do you know how to wash these? Because if we screw this up I'd rather go commando than ask doofus to buy another pair."

Tim rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I know how to wash them. What's the ulterior motive, though?"

Jason grins. "Your dad was busy when Mom had her last ultrasound, so she let me come along. Wanna see the tadpole?"

Tim literally freezes with his foot hovering above the first stair. "You have a picture?"

"Yup." And it looks like Tim's reacting the way Jason hoped he would.

"Yeah, I want to see." Tim's whole face lights up when he smiles like that, big and bright and so unlike his normal tiny ones.

Jason can't help smiling back at him. The only other person who gets how excited he is about his sister is, well, Mom. After the ultrasound they'd gone for ice cream, and she'd shown him her list of names. He would've been a little jealous over how happy she is, but he's seen photos of her when she was pregnant with him. Grandma snuck them into his bag the night he moved out. For all her faults, Mom loves being a mother.

"C'mon," he says, pushing past Tim and heading up towards his room. 

Tim hurries after him, but pauses at the entrance to Jason's room. "Your boxers-"

"-can wait," Jason finishes. "Unless, well, do they take a really long time to dry or something? If we need to do them right away, we can."

Tim shakes his head. "No, we have all night. It should be fine."

"Great," Jason says. He heads over to his desk and pulls the ultrasound picture out. It's really clear, which Mom says is a huge improvement over when she had Jason. "Come in and shut the door."

Tim walks in and shuts the door behind him. He glances around Jason's room like he's never been in there before, which Jason realises after a few seconds is actually probably true, unless Tim managed to sneak in over Thanksgiving while Jason wasn't looking. They'd moved in while Tim was still away at school, and Jack had people take care of furniture and decorating so he might not know what Jason's room looks like, either. (If there's one thing Jason learned from Gram it's that rich people are weird about how much money they spend on getting the "personal touch" when they could get the same effect by doing it themselves.)

"So, um, this is my room," he says, gesturing awkwardly around at his posters and wishing he'd at least stuck his dirty boxers in the hamper this morning. And yesterday morning.

Tim nods. "It's nice. I like the posters."

Jason can't help blushing. The posters are a reminder of his dad, creased and ripped after the landlord threw them in the trash and Jason had to retrieve them. The Clash and The Ramones stare down at him, reminding him of jumping around the living room on one of the few good days.

Tim probably thinks he's a massive dork for liking such crusty old bands.

"Thanks." This is way more awkward than Jason was expecting.

Tim cracks a smile. "My mom liked the _Magnificent Seven_ song the best. Every time I asked for a pet, she'd sing the line about the budgie getting sucked up by a vacuum cleaner."

Jason snorts. "I can't decide if that's hilarious or terrible, man."

"We were living in a no-pets apartment while she waited for the divorce settlement." Tim shrugs. "She always said one day, when we had a new house..."

"Yeah," Jason says. "I always wanted a dog, but we didn't have the money, you know? Or the space. I always thought we'd get one one day, but here we are."

Tim grins. "We should ask for a dog. For Christmas."

"I'd love to see the look on your dad's face." Jason flops onto the bed and rummages in his nightstand until he finds his photo album.

"I think it would be worth it just for that," Tim agrees, walking a little closer. "One of us should ask while the other one takes a picture of his expression."

"I nominate you to take the picture," Jason says. "Your dad already hates me."

"He doesn't hate you," Tim protests. "He treats you just like he treats me."

Jason has no fucking idea what to say to that, so he just clears his throat and slides the ultrasound picture out of the front pocket of his album, where Gram tells him she used to keep negatives. It's a good picture, with hands and feet and everything. She looks like a baby, just really small and kinda squashy. He hesitates just a little - it's the only copy he has - and then hands it over to Tim.

"Oh, wow," Tim breathes as he takes the picture. He holds it carefully around the edges, like he's used to handling delicate things. "I didn't know she'd have a face already."

"Yeah. Mom says she's already sucking her thumb, and kicking up a storm." Jason snorts, and tries to imitate his mom at her crankiest. " _Anyone who tells you girls are less trouble is a liar._ "

Tim smiles, never looking away from the picture. "Do you think," he says, then pauses. "Do you think she'd let me feel the baby kicking?"

"Sure. I mean, she's heading out to stay at Aunt Leslie's soon, but we can go ask."

"It doesn't have to be now," Tim says hastily. "I just… I've never felt that before. I think it would be kinda neat."

But his feet are tapping like it really does have to be now, so Jason rolls his eyes and drags Tim to his feet. "Come on."

Tim follows him obediently as Jason walks towards the master suite. He's still holding the ultrasound picture.

"Hey Mom," he calls out, knocking on the door. "Tim wants to ask you something."

"Jason," Tim hisses. "Don't-"

"Come on in, boys."

Mom's packing an overnight bag when they walk in, but she looks up and smiles at them. "How did your errands go?"

Jason tips her a sloppy salute. "Mission accomplished, ma'am."

"Oh, good." She puts a pair of pajamas pants into her bag. "I think everything's finally set for tomorrow."

"Yeah, um." Tim shuffles his feet against the carpet. "Good luck?"

"Thank you, Tim," Mom says, smiling at him. "Now what's this about a question?"

Tim's eyes drop to the carpet and the back of his neck goes bright red. "Jason said the baby is kicking," he says softly.

Mom smiles even though Tim can't see it. "Yeah, she's a live wire like her brothers."

Jason grins. "She's gonna be a soccer player," he predicts. "Or maybe a runner, if she's built more like Tim."

"If I have a glass of water she might put in an appearance for you boys."

"Please," Tim says. When he looks up his whole face is red, like he hadn't quite meant to say that out loud. "Um. If you've got the time before you have to go."

Mom comes over and tips Tim's head up so she can look him in the eye. "I'll make time, honey."

"Thanks," Tim mumbles, but there's a hint of a smile on his face.

Mom ruffles his hair. "Jason, can you get me a drink, please?"

"Sure thing." Mom's got that Mom look on her face, like she's about to hug something out of someone. Tim has no idea what's coming.

Jason takes his time in the kitchen, getting her ice and a mint leaf for her water; he doesn't want to intrude on their moment. He climbs the stairs as loudly as he can without jumping on each one, and by the time he gets back upstairs, Mom and Tim are sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling at each other.

"Thanks, sweetie," Mom says. Jason hands over her drink, and she reels him in for a hug.

They all chat about nothing for a while as Mom sips the water; Mom asks how Tim's last month at school has been, and Jason volunteers some stories about his history teacher, who has a habit of jumping onto tables when she gets really excited about the subject matter.

Then Mom sets her glass down on the side table and gets them both in a headlock, one under each arm. "I know things have been busy with all the wedding madness, but I hope we can have a nice Christmas. And Hanukkah," she adds.

"Chrismukkah," Tim says, grinning like a madman.

"And Festivus for the rest of us," Jason adds.

It takes a few more minutes before Mom shifts and grabs Tim's hand, putting it on the side of her belly. Tim looks a little panicked, but before he can protest he sucks in a little breath and grins. "Oh. Wow."

"Weird, right?" Jason says.

"That's so _cool_ ," Tim says, moving his hand a little. He's grinning now, that full-face smile that Jason wants to see a lot more of. "How often does she do that?"

Mom snorts. "Whenever she feels like it. Which is usually just as I'm about to fall asleep."

"Aw, that's rude," Tim says, looking at where his hand is. "Don't be rude to your mom, baby."

The three of them hang out until Jack comes up to let them know Mom's ride is here. After she leaves, Jason and Tim retreat back to Jason's room, where Tim shows him how to wash his boxers. They end up talking more about Jason's posters, and from there about music in general. It's a pretty awesome way to spend a day, actually.

Jack brings them up servings of store-bought lasagne for dinner, and ruffles Tim's hair before heading back downstairs to hang out with his groomsmen again. Jason's glad that they made the command decision to not leave Jason's room; they can hear the music and talking up here even with the door closed, and he can't imagine that hanging out with people who consider Jack Drake good company would be his idea of a good time.

Jason wrings a promise out of Tim not to throw him to the wolves tomorrow, and then they go their separate ways to get ready for bed.

The ceremony isn't until late afternoon, so they don't have to be out of bed at the crack of dawn; Jason takes the opportunity to sleep in a little before he starts the day. A couple of Jack's friends are sleeping in the living room and looking a little hungover, so if Jason _accidentally_ slams a couple of the cupboard doors while getting his breakfast ready it's entirely coincidental. He might think this whole wedding thing is a terrible idea, but that doesn't mean he's going to let anyone ruin it for his mom.

When he starts frying bacon, there are groans of despair. Jason starts humming a little vindictively and smiles when Tim comes in, his hair sticking up like he slept with his face mushed into his pillow. "Morning."

"Nnrgh," Tim replies.

Jason snorts. "I know your dad doesn't keep kosher, but I have no idea about you." He offers up a slice of bacon and Tim's eyes light up.

"I don't keep kosher either," he says, snagging the bacon and practically inhaling it. "It's more of an ethnic thing than a religious thing for us."

Jason nods. "Yeah, I don't really have any kind of religious thing going on either."

"I guess that's why the wedding's in a reception hall instead of a church," Tim says

"That and the fact that Mom's due to pop in four months."

"Details," TIm says loftily, waving his hand through the air as he grins.

Jack's friends stumble in before too long, so Tim and Jason retreat with their bacon treasure and leave them to forage for coffee.

After breakfast is finished, they start the process of getting dressed. Jason's boxers are clean and dry, but that's pretty much the only part of his outfit he can get into by himself. Tim comes in just as he drops his cummerbund for the fourth time and curses up a storm.

"I was planning to ask you how it was going, but I think I've got my answer," Tim says, gesturing at the cummerbund. "Need a hand?"

Jason scowls. "Why do you even know this shit, pipsqueak?"

"Charity balls," Tim says, making a face. "I've been shoved into these things since I was four. _Aww, look at the cute little boy in the tux, isn't he a darling?_ " He shakes his head and slips the cummerbund around Jason, hooking it to something Jason can't see. "It was either learn how to do it myself, or let Mom keep doing it for me."

"Poor Timberella. Late for the ball."

"I could leave you to figure it out on your own," Tim says sweetly, grabbing the ends of Jason's bowtie and tugging a little. "Or I could tie this just a little too tight. Not enough to hurt, but enough to be really annoying."

"You wouldn't be that cruel. You're a Disney princess."

Tim lets go of the bowtie and steps back. "Have fun with that."

Jason shakes his head. "So quick to abandon your bacon savior."

"I've mastered the art of bacon," Tim says. "How are your bow tying skills?"

Jason does his best, and Tim lets him twist in the wind for five whole minutes before he morphs back into the tiny perfectionist Jason was counting on. He's a little impressed that Tim manages to get him tidied up in under two minutes. Not that he's going to let on that he's impressed. But he is going to do something about Tim's hair, because seriously. What the fuck?

Between the clothes and the hair, it takes them a little longer than Jason was expecting to get downstairs; it doesn't really matter, though, because Jack and the Groomsmen Three take another twenty minutes to assemble in the living room. They scrounge up something for lunch, and then it's time to head off. Mom won't make her appearance for at least another hour, but Jack's invited half of Gotham's upper crust so he wants to press the flesh for as long as possible.

Jack stations him and Tim near the front doors, probably so they can direct traffic. What ends up happening instead is that they get cooed over by every single rich grandma in Gotham, and some of the grandpas, too. If Jason never hears about how adorable he looks in a tux again, he'll be happy.

Bruce Wayne is surprisingly not the worst person Jason's ever met. His kid isn't, either, but Jason can tell just from shaking the guy's hand that he's about ten times more generally cheerful and energetic than anyone Jason wants to spend time with. He keeps an eye on them as they cross the room so he can remember where _not_ to go, but when Bruce reaches Jack... the groom gets a frozen smile of death that makes Jason crack up.

Tim snickers a little, too. "I think Dad was really hoping that Mr. Wayne wouldn't show up."

Whatever Bruce and Jack talk about, it makes Jack's smile get tighter and more tense. Wayne's kid, who honest to God goes by Dick, leans in after a moment and says something before laughing loudly and punching Jack's shoulder. Jack looks like he wants to murder someone with his bare hands, and Jason decides that Dick probably deserves another chance, even with all the happy-go-lucky.

The meet-and-greet lasts for almost a full hour before Jack's best man rushes them to their places for the wedding. Tim gives Jason a thumbs-up before slipping in to stand at the end of the line of groomsmen, and then Jason's left standing alone by the door, waiting for his mom to come in.

Two limos pull up, and Gram steps out of one with Aunt Leslie. Jason comes down the steps and opens the door of the other car, and Mom's bridal party spill out one after another after another. Finally there's just a puffy pile of lace and frills in the corner, and Jason has to blink a few times to recognize the fact that Mom's having trouble climbing out of the back of the limo with all the extra fabric and baby belly.

"Need a hand?" he manages to ask without cracking up laughing.

"Not if you're laughing at me, Jason Peter," Mom says, but she's laughing, too.

She grips his hand, and he pulls until she manages to un-wedge herself. The dress is way less poofy once Mom's standing up, which is a relief. The bridesmaids swarm around to tug the layers into place while the maid of honor double-checks Mom's hair. Mom looks at him and rolls her eyes at the fuss.

"Well, don't you look sharp," Gram says from beside him, and Jason jumps a little as he turns. Gram grins at him. "Nice bowtie."

"Don't untie it," Jason says quickly. "I have no idea how to fix it."

Gram laughs. "Got some help this morning, huh?"

"I traded Tim some bacon for help getting dressed," he admits.

"Now that's a sound bargaining strategy," Aunt Leslie says, pulling Jason in for a one-armed hug. "Emily and I should go find our seats."

She holds out her arm and Gram takes it, wobbling up the steps with her sister's help. Gram's looking better than she has since her heart attack, but she's still shaky on her feet. Jason's just glad she was able to make it today.

The door opens, and the Three Goofy Groomsmen come out to escort the bridal party. Jason ducks behind Mom so one of them doesn't get the bright idea to ruffle his hair just before he's due to walk her down the aisle and get his picture taken a million times. They all disappear into the building with a bare minimum of fuss, which is something like a minor miracle as far as Jason's concerned. He grins at Mom and offers his arm. "Shall we?"

The wedding goes like pretty much every other wedding Jason's been to; the only hiccup comes when the best man apparently forgets which pocket he put the rings in and there's a small panic at the altar until he locates them. From there, they go to the reception hall.

Jason's cheeks hurt from fake-smiling all afternoon, so he lets it drop as soon as he has food. Tim finds him less than five minutes later, tucked behind one of the big pillars that are apparently completely decorative, despite how ugly they are.

"Oh thank god, you have sandwiches."

"Are they out of them already?" Jason asks, handing one of his to Tim. He's got four more on his plate and he's already downed two; he can afford to share.

Tim shakes his head. "No, but the photographer started giving me The Eye after I ate a whole bunch and the last thing I want is to turn up in the official photos as a chipmunk."

Jason grimaces. "Mom would probably think it's cute, and have it framed."

"Which is why I'm hiding."

"Smart man," Jason says. He edges his chair over so Tim can pull another chair behind the pillar. "So, are we staking out this spot and staying all night?"

Tim nods. "I hope so."

"Excellent." Jason takes another sandwich bite. "How long until we can successfully sneak out of here?"

Tim checks his watch and frowns. "It's only four o'clock."

"Think we can get away at eight?" Jason says hopefully.

"I think it depends how quickly your mom gets tired," Tim says. "We can probably be the good kids who offer to take her home."

"So, what are you guys up to back here?" a sly voice says. 

Tim and Jason turn in unison, and come face to face with Dick Grayson.

Jason scowls, then remembers that Jack apparently dislikes this guy and tries to relax his face. "Brother stuff."

"Yeah, we're... brothering," Tim adds.

"Brothering," Dick says, nodding sagely. "Any chance you'd be up for some friending, too?"

"Since when are we friends?" Jason says just as Tim says "Sure," and steps aside.

"Awesome," Dick says, sliding in and somehow managing to fit behind the pillar. If another feather tries to fit in here, the whole game will be up. "So, how's things?"

"Things are a little cramped right now," Jason complains.

Dick shrugs. "It'd be a little easier if I had a seat."

Tim hops up immediately, and Jason's stomach twists with jealousy. For about five seconds, until Tim sits in his lap.

Dick's grin gets impossibly wide. "So I'm guessing your parents aren't worried about the two of you not getting along, huh?"

Tim snorts. "They haven't stopped patting themselves on the back since Thanksgiving."

"You let a guy win a few rounds of Mario Kart and he's your friend for life," Jason adds innocently. He starts coughing when Tim elbows him viciously.

"Keep dreaming, old man," Tim teases.

"Whatever you say, whippersnapper."

"Wow, I really should've brought a date," Dick mutters.

Jason snorts. "Aren't you dating, like, a supermodel? The one with all the hair?"

Dick snorts. "Not really what I meant, kid."

Jason opens his mouth to ask what, exactly, he's implying, but Tim elbows him again and butts in. "Didn't you graduate from Brentwood last year? That's where I'm going now."

"I... guess I did, yeah," Dick says cagily. "What did you hear?"

Tim blinks a few times. "Nothing? I mean, nothing bad. Mr. Balma said you were a mathlete, and the team sucks now that you graduated."

Jason cracks up. "Oh my god, Gotham's most eligible baby bachelor is a secret nerd?"

"Not secret," Dick says, smile returning a little. "I graduated second in my class, and I was only .02 points behind the valedictorian."

Jason laughs harder. "Tell that to the Enquirer. They keep trying to sell you as a bimbo."

Dick flips his hair and gives them a sunny smile. "Well, gee, I don't know where they get that from, kiddo! It's not like I have a public image to uphold or anything, right?" He winks and does the arm-punch thing to Jason. He can barely feel it through the jacket.

Tim smacks him back in Jason's defense, and it somehow turns into a three-way scuffle. He and TIm are doing pretty well, until Dick kicks at the leg of their chair and Jason loses his balance. He manages to shoot out his hand and grab hold of Dick's collar, and Tim gets a grip on the guy's sleeve. But instead of Dick's weight being a ballast, all three of them go down. They manage to crash into a table, which only adds to the noise. Luckily for them, most of the crowd is already too drunk to notice, or to care. Dick catches a bottle that topples off the table before it can hit the floor, but he takes a red wine shower.

They all lay on the floor for a minute, completely still, until Jason notices that Tim is shaking a little. He looks down, concerned that Tim's hurt, but instead it looks like he's just barely keeping himself from laughing hysterically.

"Boys," a deep voice rumbles. "Looks like you're managing to keep yourselves entertained, if not out of trouble."

"Sorry, B," Dick says, not sounding sorry at all. "We were friending."

That's it; Tim loses it and starts laughing into Jason's jacket.

Bruce Wayne _smiles_ at them and hands Dick a paper towel that he magicked up from... somewhere, Jason has no fucking clue. "I'll keep the photographer on the other side of the room," he says, winking and disappearing way more efficiently than a dude his size should be able to do.

"That dude is so weird," Jason stage-whispers to Tim.

Tim chokes and starts laughing harder, whacking Jason in the shoulder with his forehead.

Dick sighs melodramatically and rolls off Jason's legs. "I'd better go take this shirt off and soak it or Alfred'll cry."

"A little help?" Jason calls as Dick gets up. Tim is still gasp-laughing against Jason's chest.

Dick looks down at them, squints, and shakes his head. "Nah, I think you'll manage just fine." And then he just walks away.

Jason drops back, barely missing hitting his head on the leg of the table. He's going back to his original estimation of Dick Grayson. The guy's clearly an ass.

"What an ass," Tim says, echoing Jason's thoughts. But he sounds a little... off. Did he hit his head?

"You okay?" Jason asks grabbing Tim's chin and looking him in the eye. His pupils are a little big, but they're even. That's a good sign. Probably.

"I'm fine," Tim says tightly. He tries to wriggle out of Jason's grip, and then freezes.

"Hey," Jason says, honestly concerned now. "Seriously, Tim, if something's wrong…" He trails off as Tim's face goes red.

"It's nothing," Tim tries to insist. He manages to roll himself off of Jason and straight behind the table, using it to pull himself to his feet. Tim tilts his chin up, probably not realizing that instead of making him look grown-up and defiant it makes him kinda resemble the baby teacup, Chip, from _Beauty and the Beast_. "You should go check on your mom."

Jason frowns up at him, not moving from his spot on the floor. "Are you gonna bolt if I leave for five minutes, or will you be here when I get back? I'm not doing the rest of this party on my own."

Tim sighs. "I might make a break for the bathroom, but I won't ditch you."

"You'd better not," Jason says. "I know where you live, man."

Tim rolls his eyes and says, "You're hilarious." But he doesn't take off, so that's a win.

"Ten minutes, back behind the pillar," Jason says, getting to his feet. "Deal?"

Tim swallows hard, _something_ going on behind his eyes that he doesn't feel like sharing, but he nods.

Jason nods back at him and turns, scanning the room for Mom. He finds her almost instantly; it's hard to miss that much ivory tulle. He makes his way over to her, hoping that Tim will keep his end of the bargain. He's actually enjoying spending time with the guy.

-0-

Jason's glad that he made sure he got Tim's contact information before he went back to Brentwood for the spring semester. He sends Tim all the details about the baby he can get his hands on, from pictures of ultrasounds to measurements the doctor records for him.

The instructor at Mom's Lamaze class tells Jason he's adorable, which is humiliating but hey, there are worse things to be. Like _absent_. Jack claims he's doing a lot of stuff at work to get ready to take time off after the baby is born, but Jason's got his doubts. From everything Tim's said Jack is pretty likely to just ignore home in favor of work.

The closer she gets to her due date, the more strained Mom's smile looks. Jason wishes there was something he could do to convince her she doesn't have to prove anything to him. Jack still comes home at night, but it seems like the closer it gets to baby time, the later his nights at the office get. Jason would think he was slipping out to the bar on his way home, but he's snuck in and sniffed at Jack's coat every day when he gets home, and he can't smell smoke or alcohol or anything.

He stops bothering to waste his energy on the guy the day Mom caves and asks Jason to help assemble the nursery furniture. He puts together her glider chair first, and then has Mom come in and sit in the nursery while he puts together the crib and the changing table. He debates with her about names for the baby and offers some of his own suggestions, most of which are completely awful, just to make her smile. She waves her hand imperiously, directing exactly where she wants everything to go, and he just rolls his eyes and follows commands. It's the closest he's been to her in years.

The nursery is ready a little over a week before Mom's due date, which is good, because Mom goes into labor three days after Jason gets everything put together. He's glad that he's been coming straight home from school, because when he gets home Mom's there by herself, looking uncomfortable as she explains what's going on, and that Jack is "stuck at the office." Jason has never been happier that he's got his driver's permit. He loads Mom into the car that Gram had gotten him for his birthday and sets off for the hospital while Mom calls Jack and lets him know what's going on.

He drops her off at the door and doubles back to find parking, which is a total bear. He calls Gram on his way into the hospital; she says that she'll get in touch with Aunt Leslie and make sure they're both there as soon as possible. The nurse at the reception desk points him down the hall with a smile when he asks for Catherine Drake, and Jason spends the next twenty minutes holding his mom's hand and helping her count time between contractions before Jack comes in and wants to take over as if he has any idea what he's doing. The nurse comes in to supervise, though, so Jason slips out in the hallway and calls Tim.

"It's go time," he says when Tim picks up. "Who's coming to get you?"

"She's having the baby?" Tim sounds excited. "Oh, man, you have to keep me updated. Pictures, doctor things, everything."

Jason frowns. "Or you could tell me who's coming to get you," he says. "So I know how long I'm on 'update Tim' duty."

Tim's silent for so long Jason's starting to wonder if he dropped his phone.

"Um," Tim says eventually. "I'm not coming until spring break."

"What?"

"Dad said," Tim says, and there's a note in his voice that makes Jason want to punch Jack in the throat, even without hearing the rest of the statement. "He said that if the baby came before spring break, well, I'd be home for that anyway. So he wasn't going to come get me, or pay for a bus ticket for me to get home."

"Fuck that," Jason snaps just as Gram and Aunt Leslie arrive, blinking at him in twin disapproval. "Tim, this is - she's being born right now, and your dad won't let you come home until next weekend? That's complete bullshit!"

Aunt Leslie holds out her hand, and Jason reluctantly hands over the phone. "What's your address, son?"

"I know where he is," Jason says to Gram. "It's not even that far from here. Half an hour each way, tops."

Aunt Leslie gives him a thumbs-up.

Jason grins and gives her one right back before turning to Gram. "Uh, there's at least an eighty percent chance that Jack is going to be pissed beyond belief that we're going over his head with this."

Gram gives him her fierce grin, the one that has always made Jason kind of fear for the person on Gram's bad side. "Let's let me take care of that."

Aunt Leslie hands the phone back to Jason and nods at Gram. "Emily, if you'll take care of Jack and Catherine, Jason and I have a young man to spring from school."

Gram calls Jack out into the hall, and Jason presses his phone tight to his ear. "Things are about to get real, Tim."

"So I've heard," Tim says. He sounds a lot better, almost cheerful. "Aim the microphone towards them, will you? I want to hear this."

"What exactly do you think you're playing at?" Gram begins.

Jason has to turn his back to hide his smile.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asks, clearly on the defensive already. Good. He knows he's screwed.

"You're the one who waxes poetic about how you're all one big happy family, and you think it's alright to leave Tim out of it?"

"He'll be home next weekend," Jack tries.

"He'll be home tonight," Gram says. "The only question is whether or not you'll make the boy earn a demerit."

Jack straightens up to all of his not-exactly-impressive height. "Now, Emily-"

"Don't you dare," Gram says sharply. "Leslie, Jason, go. I'll call you in fifteen minutes to let you know if you need to break Tim out, or if Jack here has seen some sense."

"Dad's not big on sense sometimes," Tim whispers into the phone, and Jason has to fight not to lose it.

He has to hang up when a nurse gives him The Eyebrow, but Aunt Leslie gives him a tight hug before steering him to her car.

"Sorry for swearing," he says when they're buckled in and heading north. "I just… I got really mad."

"Well, thank you, Jason," Aunt Leslie replies, "but you weren't the one behaving badly."

"I just don't get it," Jason blurts. "I mean, how can he say he's so excited for the baby, but act like Tim's some sort of inconvenience? Why does Mom think he's like Prince Charming?"

"I'm sure he's different with her. And she's always tried hard to see the best in people."

"He's slime," Jason says bitterly. "He's barely any better than my dad was."

Aunt Leslie sighs. "Jack's been through a lot, and he hasn't dealt with it perfectly."

"You can say that again."

"I won't make excuses for him, Jason. But judging him doesn't help much either."

"I drove Mom to the hospital," Jason says, looking out the window. "Because she didn't want to drive while she was in labor, and he was busy at work, so she sat around for four hours until I got home from school."

Aunt Leslie reflexively tightens her knuckles on the steering wheel. "Is that so?"

"And he didn't go to any of her Lamaze classes. I had to be her coach."

"I see," Aunt Leslie says. "And your mother was okay with that?"

Jason shrugs. "Didn't ask. I didn't want to make her feel worse by throwing it in her face."

"What has Jack done in terms of the baby?" Aunt Leslie asks after a minute. "Anything, negative or positive. This important, Jason, so take a minute to think if you need to."

"He pays for stuff, I guess. He got a new car so they could fit a car seat in the back."

Aunt Leslie nods and looks like she's trying to figure out how to phrase something. After another minute, she asks, "Have you seen how your mother and Jack interact when they don't think you're there? I'm not asking if you're spying, or asking you to. I'm just trying to get a better picture of what's going on."

"I don't know." Jason bites his lip and really thinks about it. "Looking back, he hasn't been around as much since we found out Mom's having a girl." Jack had talked about camping trips, baseball, and all kinds of things. The day they'd found out the baby is a girl, he'd made a joke about Mom having tea party playdates.

"And you think he'd be different about a boy," Aunt Leslie. "Even though we're on our way to get Tim ourselves."

"I think he'd at least pretend better if the baby was gonna be a boy, yeah." Jason leans against the window, the cool glass easing his growing headache. "Like, I think he wanted a do-over. Not a- a nerd, like Tim."

They pull up to the last stop light before they get on the Parkway, and Aunt Leslie reaches over and puts a hand on his wrist. "Jason, I know this isn't ideal. You don't like Jack, and frankly, the more you talk about him the more I dislike him, too. But your mother…" She sighs. "I'm not asking you to try to like Jack for her sake, or for the baby's. What I'm asking you to do is to be there for them, and for Tim, _despite_ Jack." She takes her hand off of his arm as the light change and they start going. "And if you ever think, even for a second, that he's hurting anyone in that family, yourself included, you call me instantly. Even if you're not sure, even if you just suspect."

"Yeah, of course. Thanks."

Aunt Leslie nods, and they're silent for the next few minutes, until Jason's phone starts ringing. He glances at the caller ID before picking it up. "Hey, Gram."

"Good news," Gram says cheerily. "Jack called ahead, so you shouldn't have a problem picking Tim up. Special occasion, and all."

Jason snorts. "Yeah, I'm sure you didn't have any fun _at all_ twisting his arm."

"I'd _never_ ," Gram says, gasping theatrically. "You got that tendency from your father's side of the family, I'm sure."

"Nope, that's where I got the ability to hotwire a car," Jason says seriously. "I've traced it. It's genetic."

Gram laughs, and then shushes someone who tries to make her turn off her phone. "Call me when you're on your way back," she says. "Or if anyone at that school gives you lip, call me then instead."

The trip out to Brentwood goes pretty quickly; it's a little too early for the usual Gotham end-of-work traffic jam. Jason texts Tim when they're about five minutes away, and he walks out of the office building with an overnight bag when they pull up.

Jason puts down his window and calls out, "Get in, loser, we're going to the hospital."

Tim rolls his eyes and calls him a mean girl. They grin at each other as Tim tosses his bag into the back seat and climbs in after it. "Hey, Jason, Aunt Leslie. Uh, thanks, too."

"It's no problem, Tim." Aunt Leslie waits until he's strapped in and then guns the engine. "Next stop: coffee."

"Oh, thank god," Tim groans. "I've been up since five this morning so I could get a run in before class, and something tells me it's going to be a long night."

Jason twists around in his seat to stare at him. "Why the fuck did you go for a run at five in the morning? Stressing out over your nonexistent thunder thighs?"

"I like running," Tim says, raising an eyebrow. "It gives me a chance to move and think. You should try it sometime."

"I'll _move_ you." Jason stretches as far as he can and swats Tim on the leg.

"Boys," Aunt Leslie says, but there's definite amusement in her voice. "You're about to have to be actual role models. Care to act like it?"

"Nope!" Tim and Jason say in unison.

"See if I buy you coffee, then."

The three of them banter their way back across Gotham City limits. Aunt Leslie does, indeed, buy them all coffee, and Jason calls Gram when they're ten minutes out. She says the doctor estimates at least another two hours.

"Does Mom need anything from home? We can stop by on our way back."

"A blanket from the nursery," Gram says. "Get a few of them, actually. Babies are a mess."

Jason grins. "Yeah, Mom packed four outfits in the hospital bag."

"And forgot the blankets," Gram says. She lowers her voice to add, "Jack wants you to grab a book of crossword puzzles, but feel free to forget that."

Jason scowls. It's barely been an hour and he's bored already? "Yeah, I think we're going to be too excited to get back to the hospital to remember that," he says. "We'll be back in half an hour at the most. Call me back if you remember anything else you need."

"Get yourselves some dinner," Gram advises. "And some extra batteries for your mother's camera."

"Will do," Jason says.

They stop back at the house and grab a bunch of baby blankets, and Jason only hesitates for a moment before taking Bear and the small sewing kit that he's known how to use since he was old enough to realize that holes in shirts make you cold. He waits for Tim to make some kind of comment, but he doesn't; Tim just pulls the collar of his t-shirt up over his mouth and gets smirky around the eyes. Jason rolls his eyes and makes sure they have the extra batteries, and very purposefully doesn't mention Jack's crosswords. They do grab him a sandwich when they stop at a diner to get supper, because Jason's not a total sadist.

Mom's only seven centimeters dilated when they get back to the hospital, but when Jason offers to sit with her for a while, Jack glares at him. It's a stupid tactic, but when Mom glances up at Jack she sees it too, so Jason proves he's the bigger man by saying he'll take Tim down to the cafeteria for a while.

They get shitty, watery hot chocolate and commandeer a table, and Jason tries to thread his needle. Tim watches him for a few minutes before sighing and holding his hands out expectantly. Jason shrugs and hands the needle and thread over, and before he can choke a sip of hot chocolate down, Tim's handing it back, threaded.

"Thanks," Jason says tightly, and fumbles through tying a knot. He's full to overflowing with annoyance and frustration and forced helplessness, and his fingers just don't want to work right.

"No problem," Tim says. He doesn't comment when Jason picks Bear up and cuts the remaining threads holding his left foot on. It's going to be better in the long run if Jason just redoes it instead of trying to repair the pulled stitches from the last time he did this.

He sews in awkward silence for a while, and the prickly feeling on the back of his neck keeps him aware that Tim's watching. Finally, when the left foot is sewn back on and doesn't look like it's going to be chewed off anytime soon, Jason ties off his thread and looks up. "What?"

Tim looks away, jerking his head like he's been caught stealing.

"Think it's weird that a guy knows how to sew?" Jason challenges. He's not sure why he's being kind of a dick, except that he's got some frustration to work out and Tim's, well, staring. 

"No! I'm the one who threaded your needle." And then Tim claps a hand over his mouth, blushing bright red like he just made a dick joke in Temple.

"Okay, so you can thread a needle," Jason says, unimpressed. "Doesn't explain what's so fascinating about watching me fix up an old stuffed animal." He cuts the right foot's threads and eyes the needle; he's probably still got enough thread to finish the other foot. "Here, do your magic." Jason shoves the sewing kit at Tim, almost stabbing him because he still won't damn well look at Jason.

Tim doesn't look up as he threads the needle again. Jason's not sure if it's something he does a lot, or if his hand-eye coordination is just that good; it takes him no time at all.

"And now for my next trick," Jason says with a flourish when Tim hands the needle back, "I'm going to fix the _other foot._ I know it's exciting for a voyeur like you, but try to contain yourself; we're in public."

Tim snorts, which is the most normal thing he's done since they sat down.

Jason sews in silence for a few minutes before Tim finally speaks. "I got made fun of, at my old school. One of my shirts had a hole in the hem, and I didn't want to call Dad to have him replace it, so I got a needle and thread and did it myself." Jason glances up in time to see Tim shrug. "My roommate came in as I was finishing it up."

"When you say 'made fun of', it sounds like there's reason it's your _old_ school," Jason replies, concentrating so hard on keeping his voice neutral that he almost stabs himself in the finger. "Did it get violent?"

"No," Tim says quickly. "I ran before anything could actually happen." He hesitates. "I did transfer pretty quickly afterwards, though. Winston was, ah, kind of vocal about why he didn't want me as a roommate, and nobody else would trade."

Jason stabs the needle into Bear's foot and leaves it there, taking a break so he can look Tim in the eye. "I'm not Winston. And if anyone gives you shit like that at Brentwood, you call me, okay?" Jason scrubs a hand through his hair and sighs. "Shit, it's like half the schools in Jersey have never even heard of Title IX protection."

Tim frowns. "How is that relevant? I'm not a girl."

"No, you're a guy being discriminated against for not behaving how they think a guy 'should'. So the way they treat you is founded in your gender identity."

"I never really thought about it that way," Tim says, blinking.

"Yeah, well, I have. It pays to know what kinds of protections are available to you when people are being assholes, and Title IX has been my friend on more than one occasion."

"Really?"

"I'm bisexual," Jason says, looking right at Tim as he says it. "I'm into guys just as much as I'm into girls. Or, well, if we're being specific, it's more of a sixty-forty split, but the concept holds either way."

Tim fidgets. "I'm not sure what I am. I had a girlfriend, but we broke up after I switched schools."

"Okay," Jason says, shrugging. "You can be a straight guy who sews. That's not weird, and if anyone thinks it is, stab them with your needle."

"I'm not, I don't think." Tim drops his gaze to the tabletop and starts fussing with his cup. "Straight, I mean. Or. I don't know, there was a guy last summer, at camp..." He sighs, and Jason can hear him kicking his feet. "It seems easy when I'm with a person, you know? But when I think about labels and percentages, it just... doesn't fit."

"Tim." Jason waits until Tim looks up from the table to continue. "Fuck labels. If you don't like them, then you don't have to have one. See my previous point about stabbing haters with needles."

"I guess." Tim shrugs and takes a long sip of the gross hot chocolate, probably so he doesn't have to talk anymore.

Jason frowns a little and thinks over what he just said. "Or, you know, if you want help figuring shit out, I'm here?"

Tim nods and holds out his hand. "Here, you're butchering that foot."

"Aw, shit." Jason looks down with a scowl before handing Bear to TIm. "Careful with that. It's older than you are."

"You're giving it to a baby," Tim says mildly as he picks out Jason's mess.

"And I want it to be intact when she gets it." Jason throws a sugar packet at Tim to make sure he's paying attention.

Tim dodges it with ease, never looking up from the tangled thread. "She'll get it in one piece, thanks to me."

"Oh Timber, you're my hero," Jason says, fluttering his eyelashes.

"Anything for you, Jaybird," Tim says sweetly, picking the needle up and starting to sew the foot back into place.

Jason nudges his foot under the table, and Tim kicks back immediately without dropping a stitch. His ability to concentrate is... not something Jason should be thinking about. Not when he's two years older, and they go to different schools, and this is only the fourth time he's hung out with Tim, ever. Not when they're about to have a sister in common, and definitely not now, when Tim is legally related to him.

Tim finishes reattaching Bear's foot and ties his thread off with a flourish, setting Bear on the table and making jazz hands, and Jason thinks he might be a little fucked.

-0-

Jason falls in love with his sister approximately ten minutes after she's born. The nurse places her in his arms, and all he can think is that she's so small but so heavy. Maybe weighty is a better word, actually; Jason looks at her and promises himself he'll do everything he can to make sure she has a good life. Anything she needs him to be, he'll do it.

"Hi," he whispers to her, shifting her carefully until he can free a hand. He touches the very tip of her nose, and he can't hold back the huge smile he knows is spreading across his face. "Hi, sweetie. I'm your biggest brother."

She wriggles in his lap, unhappy at being prodded.

"And I'm your nicest big brother," Tim says, leaning over Jason's shoulder.

"No, I'm your nicest big brother," Jason says. "I'm giving you Bear. Tim just got you socks."

"Mittens," Tim corrects, "so she won't scratch her face."

"Hand socks," Jason compromises. He should probably let Tim have a turn holding her but he doesn't want to let go yet. She flails a little, stretching out an arm and smacking Jason's stomach before pulling it back in.

"Hey," Tim says softly, "don't be rude to your brother." He reaches down and pokes at her hand until she unclenches it enough to grab his finger.

Jason stares, fascinated. Even with Tim's small hands, his finger takes up her entire palm. "She's so tiny," he says under his breath. "Wow."

"Okay, my turn. Gimme." Tim frees his finger from the baby's grip and makes grabby hands.

"I don't wanna share," Jason whines, but he puts the baby in Tim's arms when Tim sits down. She whines a little bit, but settles without too much fussing. Plus, now that Jason's hands are free he can pet her ridiculously floofy hair.

"I thought babies were born bald," Tim says. "She's got fluffy duck hair."

Jason snorts. "Have you looked in the mirror lately, Timmers?"

"Yes, but I've had a few years to grow this rat's nest," Tim says. He hasn't looked away from the baby's face since he got her. "She hasn't, and she's still giving me a run for my money."

"Don't let him fool you; Jason looked exactly the same at that age," Mom says tiredly. "The first time Willis saw him in the nursery, he thought they were pointing to the wrong baby."

"I didn't have any hair when I was born," Tim replies. "I thought that was a normal baby thing."

Jason shrugs. "If she takes after me she'll have ringlets by the time she's two."

"Babies are all different," Mom says. "Sometimes they're bald, sometimes they've got a ton of hair. She might lose all of that and grow in all new hair."

Jason makes a horrified noise and pets the baby's hair again. "But it's so soft."

Mom snorts. "It'll grow back in soft, too."

"Poor duck fluff," Jason mourns. "We barely knew you."

Mom shakes her head at him. "Might want to keep some of your existential crisis in reserve for when she _actually_ grows up, Jay."

This time it's Tim who makes the wounded sound. "Not yet!"

"Okay, gimme my baby," Mom says. "She's too young to be surrounded by teen angst."

Tim tucks her a little closer to himself, bending over to kiss her forehead. Jason grins as he takes her from Tim's arms and does the same thing before passing her to Mom. "So, what's her name?"

"Jack and I are still discussing that."

And right on cue, the door opens.

"There's my girls," Jack beams, walking right past Jason and Tim without acknowledging them. He's got one of those cheesy balloons from the gift shop that says "It's a GIRL!" and a whole bunch of frilly pink crap in a basket.

Jason grabs Tim by the elbow and jerks his head towards the door. It's about to get puke-worthy in here.

"I bet you can't wait to have a little brother," Jack coos, bending down to kiss the baby.

"Let's wait on that," Mom says with a strained-sounding laugh as Jason and Tim leave the room. "I just got done giving birth. I don't want to think about doing it again for a while."

Jason thinks he's shown remarkable restraint when he waits until they're out in the hall to mime shooting himself.

Tim rolls his eyes heavily and nods. He glances back and sees the closed door before muttering, "If I was your mom, I'd kick my dad in the nuts for suggesting that right now."

"Well, you know girls are for the mom and boys are for the dad," Jason says dryly.

"Clearly," Tim says with a snort. "That's why he and I did so much stuff together when I was little, right? Oh, wait."

"Your dad's kind of a dick," Jason fake-whispers.

Tim shrugs. "Yeah. But I don't have to see him all that much so it's fine."

"Great, you're making him my problem," Jason says with a sigh. "C'mon. Let's go get food and talk about how cute our sister is."

"Ugh, so cute," Tim says, grimacing. "It's not fair."

Gram finds them in the cafeteria half an hour later, comparing lists of names they hope their sister doesn't get stuck with. They're arguing over whether Edna or Evelyn would be worse when she walks up.

"Ready to get out of here, boys?" Gram says, raising her eyebrows at their snickering.

"Sure," Jason says, sliding his seat back. "Just promise me they haven't named the baby Constance, and we can go."

"They haven't settled on anything," Gram assures him. "I don't think they will for a while."

"I don't know if that's a good sign or not," Tim says. "At least it probably means Dad isn't going to win and make Catherine name the baby after his mom."

Jason tilts his head. "What was her name?"

"Mallory. Mallory Drake."

Gram shudders. "I don't think there's any danger of that." She herds them out of the cafeteria before Jason can come up with a decent mallard joke.

They spend the ride home coming up with more name suggestions, which Gram promises to pass along. When Jason lets them in, Gram doesn't say anything about the baby clothes all over every surface. He's tried putting them in the baby's dresser, but Mom had told him that she'd get around to it and not to worry. He wonders at what point he's officially allowed to worry.

"Maybe we should put this stuff away?" Tim ventures after a minute.

Gram squares her shoulders. "You boys get to bed. I'll deal with this."

It doesn't sound like she's just talking about the mess. "We can help," Jason volunteers, shooting a glance at Tim, who nods. "It can be a surprise thing. When they come home, everything will be ready."

"Oh, honey," Gram says with steel in her voice, pulling him into a hug. "I think you've done quite enough lately."

"But-" Jason starts when Gram lets him go.

Tim grabs his arm and tugs. "C'mon. Let's see if we can find a really good picture of her that we can get printed, and that can be a welcome home thing from us."

Jason sighs. "Fine. Did you bring your laptop?"

"It's like you don't even know me," Tim teases.

"Then lead on, Photoshop Geeklord."

"Maybe you do know me after all," Tim muses as they walk out of the living room. "We can set up in my room if you want."

"Sounds good," Jason agrees. "Pajama party?"

Tim nods seriously. "Pajama party."

"See you in five," Jason says, heading for his bedroom. "We've got serious work to do, finding the cutest picture."

"I think we're up to the challenge," Tim says. "See you in five."

-0-

Tim gets one whole day at home before Jack makes him pack up and go back to school. Mom and the baby aren't even home yet; hell, the baby doesn't even have a name yet. Can't possibly miss the all-important last week before spring break.

"I'll send pictures," Jason promises as Tim leaves. "You'll be so sick of pictures by the time you get home, I swear."

Tim gives him a weak smile. "Eight days and counting."

Jason wants to say something else, but Jack shouts impatiently from the van. Tim's shoulders droop as he waves to Jason and heads out. Jason decides not to make an idiot of himself by standing in the doorway to watch Tim leave. Neither of them is _actually_ being thrown to the wolves, it just feels like it. Besides, Jason's got stuff to do. Mom and the baby are coming home tomorrow, and he wants to get ahead on his reading so he can lend a hand if he needs to. He heads up to his room and flops on the bed, resigning himself to finishing _Catcher in the Rye_.

Gram saves him from scowling at Holden Caulfield about an hour later. "Hey, I'm heading back to the hospital," she says. "Do you want to come, or are you and Salinger having some bonding time?"

"Salinger can kiss my- um." Jason barely manages to stop himself.

"Good luck getting that to happen," Gram says dryly. "Let's get going."

Jason gleefully tosses the book aside and reaches for Bear. "Present time," he explains when Gram raises her eyebrow. He adjusts the hand sock mitten things that Tim had contributed. They look kinda dumb on Bear's paws, but it's the thought that counts, and Tim had made him promise to give them to the baby.

Mom looks pale and tired when they get to her room. "Hi, sweetie," she says when Jason walks in. "How was your night?"

"Busy," Jason replies, hiding Bear behind his back.

"Mine too," Mom says, yawning. "Your sister was pretty cranky. I was up with her most of the night."

Jason glances at Gram, whose face is scarily blank. "I can take her for a walk if you want."

"That would be great," Mom says, smiling a little. "She'll probably sleep better for you than she did for Jack. She'll know your voice." She waves her hand at the side table. "Take the other security blanket. I don't want her waking up because she's cold."

Jason leans over and carefully picks the sleeping baby up out of Mom's arms. She doesn't even seem to notice, so Jason arranges her carefully, making sure his visitor sticker doesn't catch in her hair, and nods to Mom. "We'll be back."

Baby Drake snuffles in his arms. She looks like she's not impressed by being disturbed, but she doesn't bother opening her eyes. "Hey," he says softly, rocking her a little as he heads into the hallway. "So, Mom thinks you'll know my voice, huh? That's kinda cool."

She arches her back and whines high in the back of her throat, kicking at his arm until one of her feet busts free of the blanket.

"Poor little duckling," Jason says, tucking her foot back in.

They walk all the way around the maternity ward twice. Jason talks nonstop, telling her about everything from Bear and Tim's hand socks to Gram and Aunt Leslie to how much Mrs. Mac is going to love making homemade baby food, even though she won't be able to eat it for months. "She's already looking up recipes," Jason confides as he walks back into Mom's room. "We're back," he calls out as he comes through the door. Gram had looked like she had things to say that she didn't want Jason to hear.

"Okay, hand her over," Gram says, standing up and glancing at Mom before going to Jason. "Time for some Gram time."

The baby screws up her face during the hand-over, and Jason has to fight the urge to protect her - to pull her back against his chest.

Mom sighs when Gram walks out the door with the baby. "She was good for you, right?"

"She's awesome." Jason's cheeks are starting to hurt, he's smiling so hard.

"Oh, good," she says, smiling back at him. "I always knew you'd be a great big brother, Jay."

He shrugs. "Well, it's not hard yet. She's cute as a bug and I haven't had to change diapers."

"That'll change," Mom says. "And, fair warning, the first few days' worth of diapers are the worst. Babies poop black goo for a little while."

"Gross." Jason shudders. "I volunteer Jack as tribute."

The strained look appears again like magic. "He's got work," she says. "Apparently someone from the company called, and there's a thing he has to be in the office to do. He said he'll get back as soon as he can, though."

Jason swallows hard around the lump of fury in his throat. "He's driving Tim back to school."

Mom nods. "He said he was going to, and then he'll meet us at home later tonight."

Jason wonders if Gram knows yet that she's going to be the chauffeur tonight. "Hope Jack doesn't have the car seat."

"I told him to leave it at the house," Mom says. "I guess we'll find out."

"I guess we will," Jason says, trying not to let on how pissed he at Jack in general. He takes a breath and blows it out steadily. "So, I'm guessing you decided on a name, or they wouldn't be letting you bring her home."

Mom smiles softly. "Her name is Lacey Jean."

"Lacey," Jason says, smiling again. "That's so much better than Mallory." He pulls out his phone to text Tim. Chances are good that it didn't occur to Jack to let Tim know. Within seconds he gets a text back that's made up entirely of happy-face emoji. He grins at his phone, then looks back at Mom. "Tim likes the name."

"He's a sweet kid."

Jason tries to think of a way to say "Yeah, he's nothing like his dad" without just… saying it. He settles for shrugging and nodding. "So how long have you got before we can spring you, jailbird?" he teases.

"Not long," Mom promises. "When Gram gets back with Lacey, the nurse will come in and do a final check-up, and from there it's just paperwork."

"Guess we'd better hurry up and go get the car seat," Jason replies.

Mom nods. "That's probably a good idea. Do you want to go find your grandmother and let her know? I'll ring for the nurse."

"Sure." Jason kisses her on the cheek and then smirks. "Want me to bring back a cheeseburger?"

"Don't say the C-word," Mom warns, looking around furtively. "If they hear you're going to feed me junk food, they might keep me an extra day just to shove more hospital-approved food down my throat."

Jason taps his nose. "Got it. No C-word until we get you into the car."

"Go on," Mom says, shooing him towards the door. "Get Gram. I want to get out of here."

Her laughter follows him out the door, and when Jason's out of sight he fistpumps the air to congratulate himself for cheering her up. Now all they have to do is actually find her something decent to eat on the way home, and hope that Jack actually shows up. At least Jason can make the first happen.

-0-

Having a baby at home is hectic. Lacey is completely amazing, but she doesn't sleep well, and when she's awake, she's crying. After a few days Jason's gotten so used to the constant noise that he doesn't really know what to do when she _is_ sleeping. He spends almost all of his time that he isn't in school or sleep with Lacey; Mom is constantly tired, and Jack is turning out to be exactly as useless as Jason had feared he would be. His days at the office haven't gotten any shorter, it's pointless to ask him to pick up groceries on his way home, and he holds a grudge when Lacey throws up on his suit.

At least Tim gets to come home on Spring Break; he and Jason spend the entire week doing everything they can to make Mom's life easier. it's Tim who suggests putting a spare bed in Jason's room and moving a playpen into Tim's room. "I can crash with Jason while I'm home," Tim explains. "And this way, you can sleep in a real bed with Lacey in the same room."

Mom gets a pinched look on her face. "Thank you, boys."

Later that night they can hear her through the wall, arguing with Jack. "She's just as much your baby as she is mine," Mom says. "Tim has spent more time with her than you have, and he wasn't even here for the first week!"

"And what exactly do you think I do all day at work?" Jack snaps back. "Someone has to support this family."

Tim rolls over onto his side and puts a pillow over his ear. "Just like old times."

Jason winces. At least his parents had gotten along pretty well before his dad died. "I can turn on the stereo," he offers.

"Nah," Tim says. "We need to listen for the baby monitor."

"We could take the monitor with us and go crash in the living room." As if on cue, they start hearing noise from the baby monitor. A moment later, Lacey is doing the quiet little whines that mean she's working herself up to a tantrum. Jason sighs. "Plan B. You get her, I'll get the playpen, and we'll _all_ crash downstairs."

Jason wakes up a few hours later when Mom leans over the playpen to pick Lacey up. "You okay?" he asks, stretching and sitting up.

Mom doesn't answer; she just sits down and holds Lacey to her chest. Jason leans against her side, putting his arm around her shoulders. He hears Tim shuffle around and get up; a few minutes later he walks back into the living room with a hot mug of tea that he hands to Mom without a word.

Mom blinks up at him and manages a small smile. "You didn't have to do that, Tim."

Tim pulls the mug back a little. "Sorry. I shouldn't have assumed. I'll just…" He takes a step back, but Mom reaches out with one hand and takes it.

"I'm sorry things have been so... all over the place," she says, taking a sip. "Jack and I have been talking about ways to make things better for you boys."

"Don't worry about us," Jason says immediately. The last thing he wants is Jack making any decisions about what would make things "better" for anyone, and he doesn't want Mom to stress.

Tim ducks his head. "I'll be out of your hair again soon."

"You're not in my hair, Tim," Mom says firmly. "I'm glad you're here. You and Jason helping out with Lacey has been a godsend this week."

"Well, she's kind of impossible to ignore," Tim says fondly, brushing a hand over Lacey's fluffy hair.

Jason bites his tongue so he doesn't say anything about how Jack has been managing it just fine.

Lacey squeaks and turns her head towards Tim's voice.

"Looks like someone's volunteering you for bottle duty," Jason teases.

Tim's whole face lights up. "Like I mind," he says happily. "Let me go heat one up. I'll be right back."

As soon as he steps out of the room Mom elbows Jason in the ribs. "He's a sweet kid. Don't give him too much of a hard time."

"I'm not," Jason protests. "We get along really well."

"You do, huh? Tell me more." Mom raises an eyebrow.

Jason has no idea what she's talking about. "Tim's funny," he tries. "And he's smart, and friendly. He's… not at all like I was expecting."

"You talk to him a lot when he's away at school," Mom concludes.

"Yeah," Jason says, shrugging. "I give him updates on Lacey and stuff. And we talk."

Mom elbows him again. "You're a sweet kid too."

"Aw, c'mon," Jason grumbles as Tim walks back in with the bottle. "No need to get mushy."

Tim snorts and scoops Lacey out of Mom's arms, freeing her up to drag Jason into a hug and plant a kiss on his cheek.

They all eventually get back to sleep; Tim goes back to school the next day, and Jason promises to keep him in the loop with pictures of Lacey.

Over the next few weeks things get more and more tense. Mom and Jack stop talking whenever Jason walks into the room, and she more or less takes up permanent residence in Tim's bedroom. Jason doesn't want to dump it all on Tim, but when he grabs Lacey for a late-Friday-night Skype session, Tim takes one look at Jason and asks what's going on. There's not much point in hiding it from him if it's that obvious.

"I don't know. Something weird's going on," Jason says as Lacey does her best to cover his entire shirt in drool.

Tim makes a humming sound. "Weird how?"

"Angry whispers. Adults going silent when they see me. I don't know, just weird."

"Do you think they're talking about you?" Tim asks.

Jason frowns. "They must be, at least some of the time. But Mom hasn't said anything yet so I don't know what to think."

"I wonder," Tim says, almost hesitantly. "Dad… I don't think it's a big secret that he'd rather have both of us out of the house."

Jason rolls his eyes. "Yeah, because the poor guy has to do so much for us."

"I'm not saying he's _right_ ," Tim says with a snort. "I just… I wonder if he's trying to convince your mom to send you somewhere."

"No way. Mom wouldn't let him do that."

"Don't underestimate him," Tim cautions. "He's… well. I was going to say convincing, but really he's just manipulative."

Jason stares at him for a minute. "let me guess: it wasn't your idea to go to boarding school?"

Tim shakes his head. "I'm in the same state as my friends from my old school, but now he doesn't have them getting in his way."

"Shit," Jason mutters. "You really think he might be trying to get Mom to send me to boarding school?"

"When I was home for spring break, she said a lot about how you and I shouldn't have to look after Lacey. If he convinces her it'd be better for you..."

"Shit," Jason repeats vehemently. Lacey gurgles and smacks him in the chest, so he readjusts her and lowers his voice. "And I can't say anything, because she hasn't said anything to me."

Tim frowns at him. "Watch your language. You want that to be her first word?"

"She's a month old, Timmers," Jason says. "She gets tone of voice right now, not words. And if your dad has his way, I won't even be here when she's actually learning language." Just like he said, Lacey picks up on the agitation in Jason's voice and starts fussing, smacking her hands on the desk in front of her. Jason sighs as he starts to bounce her a little, like she usually likes. "Okay, I think it might be time for a bottle and a clean diaper. Talk to you later?"

Tim grimaces. "That part I don't miss so much."

"Don't worry," Jason says, pitching his voice higher as he grabs Lacey's hand and waves it at Tim. "We're signing you up for all the diapers the week you get home, aren't we?"

She blows a spit bubble, and when it pops it dribbles right down the neck of Jason's shirt.

"Yeah, I'll be looking forward to that," Tim says. He doesn't sound quite as sarcastic as he maybe should, since Jason is totally planning on not changing a single poopy diaper the whole first week Tim's home. "I'll talk to you later. Night, Lacey."

She squeals at an ear-splitting pitch, which either means she's saying goodnight to Tim or she really wants her bottle. Now. It makes Tim smile, though, which is... something.

Jason shakes his head and signs off. "C'mon, kiddo," he says, standing and patting Lacey's tummy. "Let's get you fed."

-0-

Jason spends a lot of time over the next couple of weeks trying to figure out how to bring the whole boarding school mess up to Mom. There never seems to be a good time to start the whole "I know you've been talking about me behind my back" conversation. Tim keeps telling him that he'll have a better shot of talking her back out of it if he doesn't wait, which makes sense, but doesn't make it easier.

He finally decides to just bite the bullet and go for it. "So," he says one evening after supper. Mom and Lacey are cuddled up on the couch, and Jack's nowhere to be seen. "I, uh, had a question."

"What is it, honey?"

Jason looks down and fiddles with the leg of his pants. He knows he's just stalling, but he's a little terrified here. "Does Jack want to send me away?"

She freezes with her hand on Lacey's back. "Who told you that?"

"Damn it," he says with feeling, clenching his hand in his lap. "Mom, I don't want to go anywhere. I want to stay here with you and Lacey."

"Jason," she says shakily, "it's not like that. You went through so much when I was sick, and I just think- I want you to have some stability, and the chance to just be a kid, not a caretaker."

"I spent a lot of time without you around," Jason replies, trying not to raise his voice. "And I'm going away to college soon. I want to stay home. Is that so hard to get?"

Mom sets her jaw, and all of a sudden Jason can see why Grandma used to laugh when he tried to pull off that look: his stubborn-face is an exact double of hers. He doesn't feel like laughing, though. If she's pulling out the stubborn face this early on, it means he's got less of a shot at changing her mind than he thought.

"You need to start thinking about your future. It's not going to be easy to get scholarships for college, and at Brentwood you can make contacts-"

"You mean Jack doesn't want to pay for three kids," Jason cuts in.

"He's not responsible for your education," Mom replies. "Just like I'm not responsible for Tim's. I know that your grandmother has some money set aside for you, but I also know what college costs these days, and I don't want you to have to settle on a school for financial reasons."

The worst part is, when she puts it that way, Jason doesn't really have a reply. College is outrageously expensive, and he doesn't want to ask Gram to pay for it, even though she probably would.

Then Mom's lip wobbles and she adds the killing blow. "I want you to make it out of Gotham, baby. You know a lot better than most people what this city can do."

"Mom," he says, feeling kind of helpless. "I don't - I just got a family, and I kinda want to keep it. That's all."

"I promise you, you're never losing me again," she replies firmly. "I let myself go when your father died and it wasn't fair, but I _promise_ you things are different this time. I'm different." She takes a deep breath and then adds, "I won't let a man take me over like that again."

"Then don't let Jack send me away," Jason says.

"You'll be able to drive soon. You can come home every weekend if you want."

"I don't get a say in this at all, do I," Jason says bitterly. "Even though you promised I wouldn't have to switch schools."

Mom sighs. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I have to do what's best for you, whether you like it or not."

"Yeah, whatever," Jason replies, standing up and trying not to run out of the room. He's so mad he feels like screaming, but Lacey's looking like she might fall asleep soon, and it's not her fault.

He gets up to his room and sends Tim a text. _congrats, you were right._

It doesn't take Tim long to answer. _sorry jay. wish you could have talked her out of it :(_

_I'll fight you for cuddle time over the summer,_ Jason sends back, along with a picture he snapped of Lacey at dinner, milk up to her eyebrows.

Tim texts back a smiley face, but nothing else. Jason's wondering how he should reply to that when his phone starts ringing.

"Track practice got cancelled," Tim says when Jason answers. "Wanna rant?"

"You have _no_ idea," Jason says, and then he lets loose.

It's great to just vent for a while. Tim's a good listener, letting Jason know he's still paying attention without butting in or offering his opinion unless Jason asks for it.

Then Jason hears one of Tim's track buddies let out a catcall in the background, and Tim starts coughing.

"Are you alright? What'd he say?"

"I'm fine, hang on," Tim says. There's a sound like rustling fabric, and then it sounds like Tim shouts, but it's muffled. A minute later, Tim comes back. "Sorry. Marco's being a jerk."

Jason snorts. "Do I have to kick Marco's ass? I'll totally kick Marco's ass."

"I don't actually think that would help," Tim mutters.

Jason sighs. "Well, maybe it won't be all bad having me there."

"I can take care of myself," Tim says immediately.

"But you can't drive," Jason points out. "Once August rolls around I'll be home free."

"Okay, fine," Tim says. "You win the driving point. Once you're here, we can escape the terror that is boarding school and drive off into the sunset." He pauses. "Or, well, your license isn't valid between midnight and five, so I guess we'll have to drive off into the sunset, but only go so far before we pull off the road for the night."

Jason finds himself grinning at the phone. "You want to take me on a sleepover roadtrip?"

"Technically, you'd be taking me," Tim points out. Jason's pretty sure he's grinning too.

"And you can show me the best hiding spots on campus," Jason says. "I bet you've got comics stashed everywhere."

"They're not real literature," Tim says in a stuck-up accent.

"You should tell them that _The Great Gatsby_ isn't relevant without teaching the historical context," Jason stage-whispers.

Tim snickers. "It's like you're trying to get me to start a riot."

"I would _never_ ," Jason says, waiting for Tim to laugh before he adds, "without being there to see it, at least."

Tim starts talking about his homework, and Jason has to inform him that sadly, it's not possible to actually step into a book and punch Holden Caulfield.

When he finally hangs up, against all odds he actually feels better.

-0-

Summer means two awesome things happen in the same week: Tim comes home from Brentwood at the end of his school year, and Jack announces that he needs to take a three-month long business trip to find investors for his company. Jason bounces Lacey in his lap, grinning at her as he waits for Mom to get home with Tim.

"We're gonna have the best summer ever," he promises as she grabs a fistful of his shirt and sticks it in her mouth. "You and me and Mom and Tim, and your stinky dad won't be here."

Lacey wobbles forward and headbutts his chest, and two minutes later Jack comes downstairs with his suitcase.

"Thanks for the save, kiddo," Jason says under his breath.

Jack sets his suitcase down and looks at Jason. "Okay, let me give her a hug before I go. Don't want her forgetting her old man while I'm away."

Jason rolls his eyes. "We have Skype now."

"Like I know how to use that," Jack says, snatching Lacey out of Jason's arms. "You be good for your mom, huh? But give your brothers lots of gross diapers to change."

Lacey whines and twists in his arms, turning back to Jason.

"That's the one," Jack says cheerily, apparently not getting that Lacey wants down, away from the weird dude and back to the safety of Jason's lap. "Tim, too. Lots of diapers for Tim. He hasn't had his fair share yet, after all."

Jason gets up and heads for the kitchen. If he has to listen to much more of this he'll snap and point out whose fault it is that Tim hasn't been around. The last thing Mom needs is to come home to an all-out fight.

He busies himself making up a bottle for Lacey. She's probably not hungry yet, but it'll give him a good excuse to take her back; Jack won't want to mess up his clothes with spit-up before he gets on his flight. Jason takes his time with it, but it's not like bottles take all that long to prepare. After a few minutes he sighs and heads back to the front room, where Lacey looks like she's maybe half a minute from a full-out fit.

Jason brandishes the bottle at Jack. "She's probably hungry. Want to do one last bottle before you go?"

"Sorry, son," Jack says, "I have to look presentable when I get off the plane."

Jason grits his teeth as Jack hands her over. Lacey turns her face into his shirt, whimpering and snuffling, so Jason turns his attention to her instead. She takes the bottle when he pokes her mouth with it, probably more for something to calm herself than out of actual hunger. Jack ruffles her hair and then, because he has his hands full and can't stop him, does the same to Jason. Jason's pretty sure Jack can hear his teeth grinding, but he reminds himself that Jack's about to leave for three entire months. If Jason doesn't pick a fight, he'll leave sooner.

Lacey lets go of the bottle, tucking her face into Jason's armpit.

"That's probably not a good idea, kiddo," Jason jokes.

"Ha!" Jack fake-laughs, loud enough that Lacey squawks. When Jason doesn't join him, he sighs and picks his suitcase back up. "Guess I'm going to put this in the car. I hope Cath and Tim get home soon, or I won't get the chance to say goodbye before I have to go."

"Yeah, that's some bad luck," Jason says flatly.

"Sure is," Jack says, looking out the window. "Well, I'm sure they'll understand. I did say goodbye to Cath before she left, just in case, and I sent Tim a text."

The taxi pulls up and Jack starts loading his luggage. Jason's just glad he didn't ask Mom to rush back here so she could drive him to the airport. She's already picking Tim up, which Jack should really be doing. One huge favor is enough for a day.

Jack slams the trunk down and checks his watch. He mutters something before digging his phone out and dialing. "Yeah, Cath? How far are - no, no, it's just that the taxi's here." He pauses, then sighs melodramatically. "Ten minutes? I… yeah, I guess I can wait."

Jason heads upstairs. If Jack bothers to ask he'll just say he was changing Lacey's diaper, but really there's only so much of the guy he can take. Besides, he's pretty sure Jack won't ask. 

"Don't worry, kidlet," he says to Lacey when they're safely tucked into the rocker in her room. "Mom and Tim will be home soon, and then the fun can start."

Lacey does her best to chew on his shirt. She doesn't have any teeth yet but she loves to try. Jason lets her have at it, letting himself zone a little. He hears the sound of a car pulling up a few minutes later, and then another car pulling away less than five minutes after that. He does his best not to grimace at Jack's… Jack-ness, leaving almost the second Tim got home. He stays where he is until he hears heavy footsteps outside the nursery.

"Hey," Tim says dully as he walks in. Jason doesn't hesitate to stand up and nod towards the chair, and as soon as Tim sits, Jason puts Lacey into his arms. Tim buries his nose in her hair and closes his eyes.

Jason hovers a little awkwardly, not sure if he should try to talk to Tim or just let him process whatever he's thinking, but Tim speaks up after a moment. "Last time we talked before today, he said he was going to postpone a few days so we could spend a little time together before he left."

Oh. Shit.

"I guess I should know better than to believe him by now," Tim goes on. "Fool me once, et cetera."

Jason sighs. "Yeah, well, it's not so easy to stop caring when it's your dad."

"Mom tried to tell me when I was younger," Tim says. "Not that Dad was terrible, but that I couldn't rely on him. I didn't really get it at the time, but sometimes I wish that-"

"You don't have to tell me," Jason says when Tim doesn't continue.

"That he was the one in the plane instead of Mom," Tim says quietly. "I know it's really awful, and it's not like she was perfect, but at least she was honest."

"I used to wish my teacher was my mom," Jason says.

Tim finally raises his head out of Lacey's hair. "But your mom is great."

"Yeah, sure, when she's actually here and sober." Jason scrubs a hand through his hair. "My school thought I was dyslexic because she was the one checking my spelling."

"That's rough," Tim says, wincing.

"It's not a competition," Jason replies. "Your Dad sucks, my Mom's better than she used to be, and Lacey's disgustingly cute."

It works; Tim instantly smiles and looks down at Lacey. "Very true. No offense, but she's definitely the cutest one in this room by a mile."

Jason shakes his head sadly. "So fickle, Timmy."

"You can have second cutest if it means that much to you," Tim allows. "But it's really just a consolation prize."

"I concede the crown," Jason says, grinning. "It was never a fair contest anyway." He leaves Tim to get reacquainted with the kidlet and goes to help Mom unpack the car.

-0-

Summer is great, but it's also a little rough; Lacey absolutely hates being hot. Given that summers in New Jersey are usually in the high 80s, it makes her a very cranky baby. She fusses every single time they try to dress her, so Jason gives up and lets her chill in just her diaper.

Tim seems determined to put her in every single outfit they have for her, though. "It's not like they'll fit her next summer," he points out. "I mean, they probably won't even fit her next month. She's growing like crazy."

"That's what happens when you feed them," Jason says dryly.

Lacey whines and pulls at her "Little sister!" shirt.

"I know, kiddo," Jason says, grabbing her foot - thankfully he'd talked Tim out of the socks - and wiggling it. "This whole clothing thing sucks."

"I have a wild idea," Mom says, leaning into the room. "How about we rescue my baby from this oven and take her to the pool?

"Awesome," Jason says, grinning. "Tim, c'mon, let's go change."

Tim sighs and glances at Lacey, who's doing her ineffectual best to strip.

"You can pick out her pajamas," Mom promises, sitting Lacey up and peeling the shirt off of her. "Later, though. Go change."

Lacey squeals in delight at naked freedom. Tim pouts a little, but he follows Jason out of Lacey's room.

It takes about ten minutes to get into the car - Lacey vehemently protested being put into her carseat, which is apparently her new thing - and then they're on their way to the pool. Jason sits in the back with her to distract her from screeching at the top of her lungs the _entire_ drive. Luckily, she's distracted by Jason making faces at her, so she's only a little squawky when they get there. Tim has her out of the seat in record time, and once Lacey can get a fistful of his hair into her mouth, she's calm as can be. Tim makes a face and mutters something that sounds suspiciously like "Pantene poison." 

Jason does not want to know.

"Okay," Mom says, grabbing Lacey's bag out of the van. She's wearing a sun hat with a brim so big Jason wonders how she can see past it, but she's smiling, so he keeps his smartass comments to himself. "Are we ready to swim?"

"Ready as we'll ever be," Jason says, glancing at the grim look on Tim's face.

"That sounds encouraging," Mom says, rolling her eyes. "Hand her over and go jump in."

"Come on, Timmers. I won't let you drown," Jason teases.

"It's not drowning I'm worried about," Tim says. "I don't think they actually make a sunblock strong enough to keep me from going full tomato."

"Keep your shirt on and you'll be fine," Jason assures him.

"Shirt tan," Tim says glumly. "Oh well. I'll just have to get a big tub of aloe to rub on all the burned bits."

"You'll survive," Jason promises. "You might have to let me have all the baby cuddles for a while, but you'll pull through."

Tim glares, but he makes his way over to the pool. Jason's glad they drove a little bit out of the way to get to the nice one; it's got a black liner, so the water isn't too cold. Tim looks at the water like it's personally offended him, but he jumps in before Jason can make the decision to push him.

"How is it?" Jason asks, shucking his shirt and walking to the edge. Instead of replying, Tim splashes him.

"Coooooold," Jason complains, but he jumps in anyway.

When he surfaces, Tim splashes him again, grinning. "Just because you shower in water hot enough to melt your skin off doesn't mean that this is cold," he teases.

Jason lets out a yell and dunks him. They play around for a while, swimming laps and trying to dunk each other without the other one noticing them. Jason's coming up for air from one of Tim's successful sneak attacks when he sees Mom come up to the edge.

"Truce," he calls, which is good timing, because it looks like Tim was coming up for a double-dunk. "What's up, Mom?"

She crouches down and tests the water temperature on her wrist. "What do you boys think about taking the princess for a dip?"

"Let's do it," Tim says instantly swimming for the shallow end. "I think she'll like it. She loves the bath."

He makes grabby hands, and Mom laughs as she hands Lacey over. "I don't know which one of you is more eager," she teases.

Jason can see her point; it's difficult to choose between Lacey's kicky feet and Tim's... general Tim-ness.

Tim either doesn't hear her or, more likely, is so focused on Lacey that nothing else really matters. "Okay," he says to her holding her at arm's length. "One, two, three!"

On three, he dunks her feet into the water. She instantly shrieks and starts kicking, splashing water everywhere. Jason grins. "I think she likes it."

Lacey's too busy pinwheeling her legs to pay him any attention, and Tim's focused on hanging onto her. He carefully lowers her in until her legs are fully underwater, which of course means she can wiggle around and get her hands in on the action, too. She grabs at handfuls of glorious chlorinated water like they're precious treasures.

Jason walks around behind her, just in case she moves a little too fast and tips out of Tim's hands. Tim glances up at him, gives a smile-and-nod of silent thanks, and then he's gone again, absorbed in Lacey's chubby-fisted joy. She's clearly having the time of her little life, too. She's alternating between peals of baby laughter and loud shrieking, and she never stops splashing Tim. He just blinks through the chaos whenever the water hits his face. Mom was right: it's hard to tell who's enjoying it more.

Speaking of whom, when Jason looks up he spots her holding the video camera right away, and gives a little wave. "Hey," he calls to Tim. "Turn her a little towards the edge. Give Mom a better angle."

Lacey chooses that moment to splash water straight up Jason's nose.

"Ah," he yelps, stepping back out of instinct. Unfortunately, he moves a little too fast for pool physics, and ends up toppling over. When he resurfaces, Lacey has her head against Tim's chest, and they're both laughing at him.

Jason really wants to retaliate by dunking Tim, but he has his tiny infant shield. He's got another revenge plan, though. He wipes the water out of his eyes and sticks his arms out. "Okay, my turn. Gimme."

Lacey's so excited that when Tim hands her over, she manages to elbow him in the solar plexus. Of course, she only weighs about twelve pounds, so it's not like she does a ton of damage. 

"Just so you know, you're never getting her back." Jason sticks out his tongue and celebrates his victory for exactly as long as it takes for Lacey to kick him in the stomach.

"I think she liked Tim better," Mom says, laughing. "Get her back in the water, Jason. I want to get some footage of her splashing you, too."

Jason rolls his eyes, but he does what she says.

-0-

Jason is super glad that Tim is home for the summer. Lacey decides pretty early on that it's too damn hot to sleep. Mom's afraid to put the air conditioning on too high, in case she gets cold during the night, even though it's pretty clear that she wouldn't mind it being cooler at all. So the three of them end up with a tired, cranky baby who will _not_ stay in her crib.

"She's just like you were," Mom says one night when Jason stumbles into the kitchen, following the sounds of a screaming baby sister. Tim's already there, filling a bottle while Mom does a jiggle-dance with Lacey. "She's not happy unless she's being held, and sometimes that doesn't help, either."

Jason stares at her, horrified. "Why did you ever have a second kid if I was this bad?"

Mom smiles. "It's not all bad."

They fall into a loose pattern of afternoon naps when they just can't keep their eyes open any more followed by late night movie or video game marathons until the temperature drops to something almost bearable, sometime between midnight and two in the morning. It's a rough sleep schedule, but it actually makes everyone a lot less miserable, so Jason can't be too mad. Not even when Lacey is in his lap and he's _just_ about to kick Tim's ass when she grabs his controller.

"Aw, man, rematch," Jason complains, trying to keep Lacey from shoving the controller into her mouth. "This time you hold her. She can be my secret weapon."

"No way," Tim says. "I had to hold her last night all the way through Grease. I still have bruises from her attempt at dancing."

"The love is gone," Jason grumbles.

Tim coughs. "Yeah, you got me. Best two out of three?"

Mom brings through a tray of drinks, sets it down on the coffee table, and makes grabby hands.

Jason passes Lacey over, makes sure she's not going to start crying for him like she sometimes does, and wipes his controller off on his shirt. "Yeah, let's do it. Now that I'm not distracted, you're so going down."

"You are such a drool-factory," Mom says to Lacey, kissing the top of her head. "I bet you could solve the drought in California."

"Ew," Tim and Jason say at the same time.

"Super gross," Jason adds. "I mean, Lace, you're adorable, but please don't drool that much."

"Not on us, at least," Tim says.

Jason snorts. "Yeah, that's not the type of wet t-shirt contest I'm into."

Tim makes a choked-off noise, and when Jason glances at him he's hiding his face in a cold glass of lemonade.

"Brain freeze?"

"Yeah," Tim gasps, rubbing at his forehead. "Wow."

"You're still going down," Jason brags. Tim starts coughing again, and Jason rolls his eyes. "Take another sip," he advises. "C'mon, Rainbow Road awaits."

Tim throws down his controller and stomps out of the room. "Bathroom break!"

Jason sighs and leans into the back of the couch, turning his face to look at Mom and Lacey. "He'll do anything to keep me from beating him."

"You shouldn't tease him like that, Jason," Mom says, frowning a little.

Jason frowns. "What?"

She raises an eyebrow at him. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

The thing is, usually he does know, but this time he's clueless. "Uh," he says, wracking his brain. "Give me a clue?"

"He likes you a lot."

"Well yeah, I like him too. So?"

Mom sighs and drops Lacey in his lap. "I'm going to see if Tim wants some Advil for his headache."

Jason looks down at Lacey as Mom walks out. "Weird," he says, watching as she tries to stuff her entire fist into her mouth. "You know what that was about? Because I sure don't."

Lacey responds by trying to stuff her other fist into Jason's mouth.

"Ow. It's not going to fit."

"Oh my god," Tim says from the doorway. When Jason turns to look at him, there's color high on his cheeks. "You are - oh my god."

Jason frowns. "Dude, are you okay?"

"Everything that comes out of your mouth sounds like a line from Avenue Q," Tim blurts out.

"Um. Well, I've seen it a bunch of times."

"That explains a lot," TIm mutters, walking in and sitting on the other end of the couch. "Ready for that rematch?"

"Don't be a hater, Timmy," Jason says, waiting until Tim hits play before he starts singing The Internet Is For Porn. Tim starts singing something from his favorite The Clash album at the top of his lungs, and soon they're less focused on running each other off the road and more focused on out-singing each other.

Mom walks in just as Tim yells about a vacuum cleaner sucking up a budgie. "Oh _no_ ," she chimes in.

"Buh-bye."

"I gotta teach you some songs," Jason says to Lacey, who bangs her fist against Jason's chest. "I need a singing ally."

He switches over to the server and cues up _The Little Mermaid_. All the underwater footage might trick him into thinking it's cooling down in here. Lacey twists in his arms, craning her neck when the Disney intro music starts playing over the Cinderella castle. She's way too young to get the movie itself, Jason knows, but he'll swear she recognizes the music. He picks her up and makes her dance along to “Under The Sea,” because Sebastian is boss. She loves it; as soon as he sets her on her feet she starts bouncing along.

"Darlin' it's better down where it's wetter, under the seeeea," Jason sings, and Lacey coos along with him.

Tim starts laughing and falls over clutching his stomach.

Jason sighs and shakes his head. "I'm the fun brother."

They're all yawning by the end of the movie, so Mom shoos Tim and Jason off to bed. Jason can tell that Tim's thinking about arguing, so he stands up and passes Lacey over to Mom. Lacey squeaks a sleepy protest, but then she closes her eyes and smooshes her face into Mom's neck.. "C'mon, Tim, let's go while we can."

"Go," Mom says when Tim glances at her. "Sleep. I'll stay down here with her, so hopefully she gets a little shut-eye." July has been kind of brutal so far.

They stumble upstairs, and Tim waves goodnight.

"Hey, wait a minute," Jason calls out.

Tim pauses in front of his door, listing over so it can hold him up. "What's up, Jason?"

"I was just thinking," Jason says, stopping by his own door and trying not to fidget. "That guy at camp. You won't see him this summer."

Tim stares at him for a minute, tired eyes blinking. "Um. No? I guess not."

"Sorry," Jason offers. He kinda wishes he hadn't brought it up, at least not without thinking about something else to say.

"Thanks." Tim smiles at him, a little sad. "What about you? Leaving anyone behind when you come to Brentwood?"

Jason shrugs. "Not really. I mean, some friends, but nobody… like that."

"Why not? I mean, you're you," Tim says, frowning at him.

"And you're you," Jason counters. "So what gives?"

Tim shrugs. "I wanted to spend this summer with you. And Lacey."

"Oh," Jason says. He… really doesn’t know how to reply to that, since this is pretty much exactly what he wanted for his summer, too.

"Goodnight." Tim shoves his door open without waiting for a reply, and closes it firmly behind him. Which is fine; Jason’s still tongue-tied.

"Goodnight," he says to Tim's closed door before turning and heading into his own room.

-0-

Tim is really adamant about not wanting them to make a huge deal out of his birthday, so Jason just gets him a card and a gift certificate for the bookstore he likes. Jack actually remembers to call while it's still technically Tim's birthday, too. Tim blinks in surprise when Mom hands him the phone. Jason doesn't blame him; it's half past eleven at night, and Jack has only called home a handful of times since he left. Tim takes the phone into his bedroom and shuts the door. He's still locked away in there when Jason goes to bed.

Tim just shrugs when Jason asks about it the next morning, so Jason figures Jack was entirely himself, and Tim's not thrilled with that. Jason suggests a Star Wars marathon to distract him, so they spend the rest of the day giving Lacey her very first fully-guided tour of the original trilogy. She coos every time Chewbacca growls.

The distraction is successful; between cuddling Lacey and arguing about politics on Alderaan with Jason, Tim is in much better spirits by the time dinner rolls around. And his eyes light up when he opens the pizza box.

"Aw, man," he says delightedly, picking up a slice of the mess he dares to call food. "You guys remembered my toppings!"

"And got you a whole pie all to yourself," Jason adds, opening up the pepperoni and onion pie he and Mom are sharing. "Happy birthday."

Tim's eyes are shining like an anime princess as he tucks in.

The summer continues from there. Lacey is growing like a weed, and by the time Jason's birthday rolls around, she's getting really big. It's only a matter of time before she's a mobile crawling menace. Jason's sad he won't be around to see it firsthand, at least not the first time it happens; he and Tim will be heading to Brentwood when school starts up in three weeks, and there's no chance she'll be at it before then. Jack won't be back in Gotham until a week after Jason's birthday, which is a pretty nice present.

Getting his license is pretty awesome too, and he and Tim celebrate by taking Lacey into the shopping district in Gotham. They push her around in her stroller and generally do a whole lot of nothing until Mom meets them for dinner. She's already waiting for them when they get to the restaurant, and Gram's with her. They both look a little shifty. 

Jason wheels Lacey over, puts the brake on the stroller, and folds his arms. "What's up?"

Mom smiles. "Nothing, dear. How was your day?"

"We had fun and I call bull. What happened?"

Gram clears her throat. "We discussed your _situation_ and decided you can have your Christmas present early."

Jason perks up. "Yeah? What do I get?"

Mom exchanges a glance with Gram and then reaches into her purse and pulls out an envelope.

"Wow, you shouldn't have," Jason teases.

"I can take it back," Mom says, amused, holding the card over her plate. "I mean, I'd find it pretty useful."

Jason's tempted to dive across the table, but Tim grabs the back of his shirt. "No getting us kicked out before we have pie."

"Or our entrees, or appetizers," Gram says. "Don't torture him, Cath."

Mom raises an eyebrow at him, and Jason makes his best puppy-dog pleading-face. He makes his lip wobble for extra effort. Mom starts laughing. "How could I deny my precious first-born?"

Jason bats his eyelashes, and it does the trick. Mom tosses the card to him.

"Keep it somewhere safe," Gram says firmly, "so you can always get home if there's an emergency."

"Whoa," Jason breathes, pulling the card from the envelope and looking at what's inside. There's a prepaid card that Gram has written **gas card** on in Sharpie, and a receipt for an EZ-Pass unit with Mom's name on it. He'll be able to go pretty much anywhere with those in the car. "Thanks! I mean, wow, thank you so much."

"You're welcome, honey," Mom says, smiling as she leans over to unbuckle Lacey. "Keep in mind that I'll get the EZ-Pass record, so I'll know if you're driving to Atlantic City."

"You hear that, Tim?" Jason stage-whispers. "Big Brother is watching us."

Tim coughs into his water, and Jason considers whacking him on the back to help. He manages to recover on his own, though, just in time for their food to be served.

Dinner is nice, and afterwards Mom and Gram take Lacey so Jason and Tim can head to the arcade. They waste a few hours there before Jason drives them home, and he thinks it's a pretty great birthday, when all is said and done.

Tim turns bright red when Jason makes a comment about his wrist being sore. "I guess maybe you, uh, overdid it. At the arcade."

"I am the skeeball master, though," Jason says with satisfaction. "I totally came out on top. You weren't even close to topping me."

Tim rolls his eyes. "So you've given up on being subtle?"

"I'm practicing," Jason corrects. "Brentwood needs a dash of rainbow."

"I'm pretty sure the headmaster will disagree," Tim says dryly. "I mean, it's not like they can openly say that students can't be gay or bi or whatever, but I'm willing to bet it'd be frowned upon to be so public."

"Well, I'm going to give it a shot, and if they don't like me, too fucking bad."

"That's one way to approach it," Tim says. "Personally, I'm into stealth, but it'll be fun to watch."

Jason looks him over head to toe. "You're tiny; you can get away with stealth. I'm built like a brick shithouse, like my father."

Tim snorts. "Goodnight, Jason," he says, clearly rolling his eyes as he heads for his room. "Happy birthday."

"Goodnight, sweet prince." Jason bows slightly, and then waltzes through his bedroom door. He can hear Tim laughing out in the hall.

Jason's plan is to sleep as long as Mom will let him, but he wakes up to the sound of Lacey crying around eight. It hasn't been happening so much now that Mom's taken to sleeping in the room with her, so Jason's instantly on his feet and heading for the nursery. He scoops Lacey up and bounces her, but she refuses to calm down. She's furious about something. He finds Bear wedged under the changing table, but even that doesn't cheer her up.

Tim comes in a few minutes later, shaking a bottle. Lacey sucks at it angrily when he pokes it into her mouth, but the tears are still falling.

"Thanks," Jason says, adjusting so he can hold Lacey and the bottle. "What gives? Where's Mom?"

Tim winces. "She's in the master bedroom, trying not to yell at someone on the phone."

"Oh." There's really only one person who'd call this early and make Mom so mad, but Jason doesn't want to ask what Jack's done this time. "How long has that been going on?"

"Long enough that Lacey got pissed about being left in her cage, I guess."

Jason just nods. Lacey's tears are finally slowing, and she's going at the bottle more energetically, so he concentrates on making sure she doesn't inhale too much air. She's gotten through about half the formula when Jason hears a door slam. Lacey lets go of the bottle and whimpers, turning her face towards his shirt.

Tim turns for the door. "I should…"

"Nah, here, cuddle," Jason says, putting Lacey and her bottle into Tim's arms. "I've got experience with this."

After some trial and error, he spies Mom through the kitchen window. She's sitting on the back step smoking. That's really, really not a good sign. Jason takes a deep breath, squares his shoulders, and opens the back door. She hastily stubs out her cigarette.

"I already saw you," Jason says.

She sighs. "At least I'm not poisoning you now, though." She pauses for a moment. "Is Lacey okay? I didn't realize I'd woken her up until you and Tim were already in there with her."

"She's fine. Are you?"

Mom slumps a little. "I'll be okay."

Jason snorts. "Once more, but this time like you mean it. What'd he say?"

"We both said a lot of things we probably shouldn't have, but the upshot is that he's going to miss Lacey's first Halloween."

Jason scowls. "He's going away again that soon?"

Mom shakes her head. "He's not coming back." Her voice wobbles, and Jason feels four years old again. There's a part of him that wants to yell, because he knows how shitty Jack is, but it's not fair all the same. Lacey's his kid, and he'd pretended to be all excited about her, but he's completely useless. Jason knew he would be the second he'd met Tim, but having it confirmed before Lacey turns six months old is pretty fucking awful.

"I need - Jay, I'm so sorry, and you know I wouldn't ask unless I absolutely had to..." Mom trails off and looks up at him with desperate eyes.

"Okay," he agrees automatically. "Whatever it is, it's okay."

"I just need to you watch her for a while, so I can talk to my sponsor."

It's not the worst thing Mom could say, Jason just nods and puts his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. "How long?"

She shrugs helplessly. "I screwed up." 

Jason sucks in a breath. "Did you use again?"

"No, but I wanted to. I have… something."

"Mom," Jason says. He hears his voice crack, and it's hard for him to swallow all of a sudden. "Please. Please don't."

"I want things to be different for you, baby. I’m trying."

"Please keep trying," is all Jason can manage. "Do you need me to call anyone? Your sponsor, or Gram, or Aunt Leslie?"

Mom clasps her hands together tight. "I just wanted to sleep. I thought if I could get a good night’s sleep everything would be okay."

They’re both crying now, and Jason’s chest hurts. "I’m here. And Tim’s here. If you need a break you can just tell me."

"I need a break," she whispers. "Just a little while. I promise."

"Okay." Jason wipes his face and squeezes her tight. "I can drop you off at a meeting, or wherever you need to go." And then when she’s out of the house he can track down her stash and destroy it.

"The rehab," Mom says shakily. "I haven't… but they… they can help. And I need to call Kate."

"Sure. Now let’s head in and get dressed." He stands up, holding out a hand to help her up.

She takes it and pulls him into a hug once they're standing. "Thanks, Jason. You grew up so much better than I could ever have dreamed."

Jason has to fight back the urge to shake her. She’s so much stronger than she’s ever given herself credit for. Why did she even think she needed Jack to lean on in the first place?

They go inside and Jason walks her up to her room. He hesitates when she goes to shut the door, and sticks his foot in before she can close it. "Look, it's not that I don't trust you, and I really don't want to see you get dressed, but…"

Mom sits down on the bed and covers her face with her hands. "I’m sorry."

"Just get dressed," Jason says as gently as he can manage. "I'll stand over here and check in." Hopefully the rehab will check her pockets when she gets there, but he doesn’t want her to take anything before then.

After a moment, Mom takes a deep breath and drops her hands. "Okay." 

She hands him her cell, and he goes through until he finds Kate’s number. He texts it to himself, just so he has it, and then dials. He talks to Kate while Mom gets dressed, and she agrees to meet them at the rehab.

Then he gets Tim to sit with her in the kitchen so he can get changed.

"Okay, let's go," he says as he walks back into the kitchen. "Tim, you've got Lacey until I get home, right? I should only be, like, an hour."

Tim nods. "We’re good. And I can call Gram or Aunt Leslie if I need to."

"If you go over to stay with one of them, just let me know," Jason says, grabbing his keys and making sure he remembered to stick his wallet in his pocket. "Let's go, Mom."

She takes his hand and holds on until she has to let go to get in the car. "Thank you," she says again as she buckles her seatbelt.

The drive to the rehab takes about twenty minutes, and Jason's never been happier to see Kate's bright red head than he is when he pulls up. She hugs him tight and then turns her attention to Mom.

Jason makes sure that Mom is, indeed, getting admitted before he heads for home. He does his best to breathe evenly so he doesn't freak out at Tim, but he's not actually anything like calm when he parks his car.

When he opens the door Tim barrels straight into him and hugs him. Which only serves to underline how damn weird this day is.

"What did he do?" Tim asks into his shirt.

"He fucking walked out," Jason spits. "Whatever he’s doing is more important than being here."

Tim takes a shuddering breath, and that's when Jason notices he's about four seconds away from crying. "He just… he left. Again." His laugh sounds awful. "And here he said he was gonna do better this time."

"Mom said he won’t be back until at least November. What the hell are we supposed to do? Smuggle Lacey into Brentwood?"

Tim takes one more deep breath before letting go and taking a step back. He swipes at his eyes, but he looks determined. "No. I think… I think we have to get kicked out."

Jason grimaces. "Or I could just drop out."

"No," Tim insists. "Remember what you were saying last night? We just - we go all out. We find the most scandal-inducing guys we can, and we flaunt it all over the place."

"Why?"

"Because then Dad will _have_ to do something. He won’t risk his company’s reputation."

"Right." Jason blows out a breath. "And if we promise to behave if he lets us come home…"

"Then we'll be here for Lacey and your mom," Tim finishes.

"And hey, maybe Jackie-boy will get some of his tuition money back if he agrees to keep his mouth shut about institutional homophobia," Jason says bitterly. "That’ll cheer him up."

Tim wraps an arm around himself. "He probably won't even come home. We won't have to deal with the fallout, if we do it fast enough."

"Okay, let’s go for it." Jason has to call Gram, to make sure she can take Lacey for however long they’re stuck at school and Mom is in rehab. He has to call Aunt Leslie, to make sure she can keep an eye on Gram. Shit, they still have school shopping to do.

"Let's do it," Tim says. "Let's get kicked out of school."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated. You can find us on tumblr at [somehowunbroken](http://somehowunbroken.tumblr.com) and [ariadne83](http://ariadne83.tumblr.com).


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